Fail-Safe
by we-bears-babygirl
Summary: SEQUEL TO "COLD TRUTH"...Clark and Lex are once again in the Fortress of Solitude, and Clark forces Lex to download all the knowledge of Krypton to his mind. Why? Clark's instincts are fighting for dominance and Clark needs a way to stop himself before he gets innocent blood on his hands...WARNINGS: Non-Con, Possible Mpreg
1. Chapter 1

_**A Year Later...**_

**LEX**:

"_Shit!_" Lex exclaimed after they were thrown out of the portal. Clark and Lex stood at the entrance to the ice palace. Clark was just in his infamous red jacket, but Lex was wrapped head to toe in a parka and boots. "Why, again, did I have to come with you? I feel like I'm freezing to death again!"

"Still not funny, Lex." Clark said, his face blank. Lex nodded his head, mumbling an apology. Clark then smiled, wrapping Lex in his large arms. "I brought you here for a surprise. Jor-El and I have been talking-"

"About me?" Lex interrupted. "He knows about me. Last I saw him, he wanted me dead."

Clark pulled back, looking Lex in the eye. Lex shifted in place, but Clark just stared at him, mystified. "You gave up everything to be with me. You gave up your money, your job, your house, even your name...for me."

Lex took Clark's hands, gripping them tightly. "And I would do it again. You know that." Clark smiled, squeezing his hands.

"Yeah, I do know that, and I know you're nervous, but Jor-El has had over a year to get over it. Once he finally understood what you did, he thought that was good enough. The life you have now? You could never hurt me."

"I would never hurt you in the first place." Clark's eyes fell, staring at their joined hands.

"I know. I trust you, which is why I asked Jor-El for a favor." Clark turned to the console in the center of the room, walking up to it. He looked up to the massive crystal structures, calling, "Jor-El."

The room lit up as if it was reflecting the sun's light all around them. Lex shielded his eyes, wincing.

"Kal-El," the booming voice echoed around them. Lex's heart lept into his throat. Whatever Clark may have said, Jor-El wanted Lex dead.

Lex knew death threats when he heard them. He's been receiving them ever since he was ten. Changing his name and relinquishing his fortune didn't change anything either. There were still thugs and low-lifes pointing guns at his head, and kidnapping him every time he turns around. What Lex didn't expect was that Clark had a violent side when it came to rescuing him. He more than once had to pull Clark back before he could set them on fire or snap their neck. Those dark days had long since passed, but there were still times when Clark was fiercely protective of Lex.

"I don't care about your laws, Jor-El." Clark snapped, pulling Lex out of his thoughts. "Lex is the only one on this planet that I trust. You need someone to rely on to do the right thing if I lose control again. Ever since that summer in Metropolis, I've been wanting to kill more and more. If I am ever exposed to red Kryptonite again, there is no telling what will happen to me! You need someone who can stop me!"

"Alexander Luthor knew how to stop you, which is why I asked for his death."

"Alexander J. Luthor is dead." Lex said, standing next to Clark. "I have stripped my life down to the bare essentials for Clark. I have no money, no power, and no following. I am no threat to your son."

"Kal-El is not satisfied. He feels as if he needs a threat." Lex turned to Clark, confused. Clark looked away guiltily for a moment, but eventually turned back, his face set.

"Clark, what is he talking about?" Clark took a crystal from the console, gently holding it, as if it would shatter. "Clark?"

"Kal-El." Jor-El warned. Clark looked up at the crystals, then to Lex."

"Catch." He said, tossing the crystal. Lex, without thinking, caught it in his hands. The world around Lex suddenly vanished, throwing him into blackness.

Then pain. Searing pain ran up his arms, up his neck, and into his brain. His head felt like it would explode. He felt himself fall to his knees, and he could feel in his throat that he was screaming, but none of it reached his awareness. All that he could hear was Jor-El's voice booming in his ears, blurring through lessons in history, culture, and languages. Kryptonian symbols rushed by in front of his eyes, but to Lex's shock, he could understand every single one. He vaguely realized that he had stopped screaming, and instead, was speaking rapidly in the unearthly language.

The language was brisk and sounded aggressive. Lex could only imagine how fluent speakers of it sounded. It would sound as if the conversations would lead to blows, even if they were talking about the weather.

The symbols faded away until they were nothing but a searing imprint on his brain, and Jor-El's voice dulled until all that was left was the blood pounding in his ears. His vision cleared, and the first thing he saw was Clark, teary-eyed and apologetic. "Lex?" he asked softly.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Clark flinched, and so did Lex. He thought he spoke English, but the words that left his mouth were Kryptonian. He actually had to put effort into finding the language somewhere in his brain. "What the hell did you do to me, Clark?" he asked again, this time in English.

"I'm sorry, Lex, but I know you would have never done it if I told you."

"So you forced me?!" Lex backed away from Clark, clumsily, panicking. Clark folded in on himself, feeling like a boogeyman.

"Lex, please..." He whined.

"No, Clark! You don't get to turn those puppy eyes on me! You forced 12 billion years of Krypton's history down my throat!" His head painfully throbbed. Lex cursed, holding his head. "My head feels like it's about to rip apart. If this is anything like what happened to Dr. Walden, I might go insane, Clark! Do you understand that?"

"I knew you wouldn't, Lex. Your healing abilities would keep that from happening. I know we're going to have some rough days-"

"_Rough days?!_" Lex stood, storming back and retrieving the key off the ground. "Look at me, Clark! Why did you do this? Why?!"

"My Kryptonian side is making it harder and harder to protect the people I love. On my planet, murder is perfectly fine if your loved ones are in danger. My first instinct when someone takes you is to rip them apart. God, somedays I want nothing more than see their blood all over the floor. When you stopped me the last time, you thought I wouldn't stop, didn't you? I saw it in your face. You thought that you honestly couldn't stop me that time, didn't you?" Lex pressed his lips into a thin line, saying nothing. "Answer me!" His voice thundered around the room, making Lex shiver.

"Yes, Clark, I did. But that was no reason to-"

"I couldn't understand you, did you know that? You were speaking plain English, and I couldn't understand it? The thoughts in my head? Screaming at me to kill the pathetic human in my grip? They were Kryptonian. I need someone as close to Kryptonian as possible to help me come back before I hurt somebody."

"Kal-El's instincts to protect his partner in life are conflicting with his human upbringing." Jor-El said. "His instincts will continue to rebel until his needs as a Kryptonian mate are met."

The rage inside Lex felt like it was doused with ice water. He was really starting to hate Jor-El. Every time they met changed his entire life. Can't anything with this A.I. be less than life or death?

"Nature vs. Nurture, word for word." He sneered, staring down the console. "I have had enough of this. First, you demand my head. Now, you almost made my head explode forcing an entire planet's knowledge into it. Both of you treating me like I have no free will of my own." He pointed a finger at Clark, shaking with fury. "And you, you have been treating me more and more like a lesser being. And now this? If you are going through some phase in your alien development, fine, but we aren't going to run to your father for help. We are going to do this together, as a couple, because that is what we are, Clark Kent." He came within inches of Clark, ignoring Clark's extra six inches of height. He took Clark's hand, still angry, but wanting more to just get out of there. "Let's go home and talk about this. You've barely said a word to me about this, but you have to trust me."

Clark looked away, taking the silver octogan from him. He pressed it into the console and came back, looking into Lex's eyes as snow and wind swept around them. "I trust you, Lex." was all he said as the portal took them home.


	2. Chapter 2

Johnathan and Martha Kent thankfully left the boys alone after they came back from the Arctic. The whole day was filled with shouting and arguing. Martha could hear the fight all the way from the kitchen while her husband was in town, getting some tools.

Around the time she had dinner ready, Clark stomped into the house, looking completely heartbroken. She moved to stop him, to say something, but the look in his eyes stopped her. It was a look she has seen too many times lately. The look in his eyes was a combination of guilt, terror, and most of all, regret. Whatever happened, Martha knew Clark was responsible and that he could never say how sorry he was that it happened.

"Clark." She said, embracing him. He wrapped his arms around her, almost squeezing her too hard. He shook violently, taking shallow breaths. "Clark, it's going to be okay." He sobbed, tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Mom," he croaked.

"Whatever happened up there, Clark. We can get through this."

"He's so mad at me, Mom. I think I made a huge mistake." Martha held her son as he wept, shushing him and promising that everything would be okay, but inside she wondered what on Earth her son did to Lex?

* * *

Lex was sitting on the couch in the loft, head in his hands, rocking in place. Voices were rushing through his head like molten lead. They were whispering soft children's stories, while at the same time screaming vicious histories of bloody wars. Millions of years of Krypton, as well as its neighboring planets', history ran behind his eyes. He long ago lost sight of the loft. Instead, he was seeing images of ruins from ancient Kryptonian cultures, pictures of important figures, and most of all, Kryptonian symbols. There were thousands of well-known family lines, the House of El being one of the most prestigious. The bloodlines were known for their genetic specialties. For instance, the House of Oro, were known for the brilliance in the field of politics. The House of Gi, were very skilled, almost barbaric, warriors. The House of Ka bred the most caring of mothers, teachers, and healers. The House of El was revered as the closest thing they had to royalty. It was an ancient house, and as long as history was recorded, they were not only very intelligent, but they were noble fighters. Many of the House of El, men and women, was said to have died protecting those weaker than them. Those that died naturally by age were some of the most brilliant scientists.

Lex could see the House of El as plain as day in Clark. Clark may not be a ground-breaking scholar, but the few times he shows his true intelligence, it stuns Lex. At one point, he considered hiring the greatest tutors in the world to see just how expansive Clark's knowledge was, but that was a long time ago.

Clark was also noble. If he could give his life just to save a spider from getting stepped on, he would. From the stories he's heard, Clark has always been protecting those smaller than him. There were many times in elementary school when little boys who bullied Clark's friends would end up hanging from a tree by his underwear. No one knew who it was, of course, just that he was there one minute then in a blur he was in a tree. Martha and Johnathan still laughed about it.

_"And when the House of Fre declared its disgust for Krypton, a civil feud broke out, causing the death of twenty-three innocent souls..."_

"Get out of my head!" Lex shouted, clawing at his temples. He yelled in fury, only making his head hurt worse, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. He couldn't think, he couldn't see, he could barely hear...

A hand clapped on his shoulder, making him jump. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming as he looked up into a pair of warm, kind eyes marred by the streaming symbols rushing across his eyes. Scratch that, he couldn't hear at all if he didn't hear Johnathan Kent's heavy footsteps.

Johnathan spoke, but the words had no sound. Lex couldn't hear them over the roar of voices forcing their way through his brain. He shook his head, the motion bringing a wave of nasuea, but he fought it down. The older man frowned before he went over to Clark's desk, pulling out the box Lex remembers giving to Clark. Johnathan came back, sitting next to Lex, before setting to box on the table and opening the lid.

The voices suddenly faded, and the symbols cleared, making his vision whole again. His head kept pounding, but now, blissful silence filled the air instead of screaming voices.

"How?" Lex said, amazed. He looked into the small lead box and saw a small piece of Kryptonite, glowing and pulsing bright green. He first thought was to shut it before it could hurt Clark, but when he remembered that Clark wasn't there, he left it.

"I thought maybe that would scare off whatever Jor-El forced on you." Johnathan said, his words tight. Clark had said Jor-El and his parents had a strained alliance, but he never heard such contempt for someone in Johnathan's voice, except maybe for his own father, of course. "You feeling alright, son?" Lex's chest tightened. It had been a slow process, but to finally be a part of Clark's family felt nice, even though Clark's actions have thrown a wrench in the works.

"Physically, I'm fine." was all Lex could say. Johnathan nodded silently. They sat there in a comfortable silence, Lex sitting straight and postured, and Johnathan staring at the green meteor. Lex wanted nothing more than to pull his knees into his chest and curl up into a ball, but one thing being a former Luthor taught him was that, no matter what, it was not something a grown man does in public. They sat there for a while, both men just in their own thoughts, when Lex spoke, "Clark would do anything to keep himself from killing someone, wouldn't he?"

The man nodded, his lips pursed. "Sometimes he does overreact and runs off half-cocked, but his heart is in the right place."

"Even when he hurts someone he's supposed to love?" Lex asked, his words soft.

Johnathan looked up at him, mouth agape. Lex watched him shift around, obviously searching for the words to say. "Um, yes, if he believes he's protecting them. The summer you were stranded on an island was also the summer Clark ran away to Metropolis. After he found out that the baby died, he stole a red Kryptonite ring and ran away. He thought he was protecting us from him, that he killed the baby, and the ring was encouraging him to stay away. It was then I realized that our son would do absolutely anything to protect us from his alien side. Martha and I since then have tried to learn as much as we could about his planet so we can keep this from happening again."

Lex sighed. "After my brain is done processing all of _this_," he said, rubbing his temples, "I'll be a walking library on Kryptonian history, science, and culture. Clark thought he would be safe from his alien side if I knew everything about his planet, if I don't go insane first." Johnathan clapped his shoulder again, giving a comforting squeeze before standing.

"If Clark didn't think you were able to pull through this, he would have never done it." He picked up the box on the table and handed it to Lex. "I would suggest using this when you need it. You still need to suffer through Jor-El's crap, but maybe this will keep you from going crazy. I would tell you to only use this for sleep and when the pain becomes too much to bear, then and only then. You understand, son?"

"Yes, sir." Lex replied, cradling the box to his chest.

Johnathan turned away, walking over to the stairs. He took a couple steps down before looking back at Lex. He was still on the couch, staring into the lead box, but his hands were trembling as he held it. Johnathan Kent went down the rest of the stairs and left the barn. Before he was out of earshot, he paused when he heard the snap of the lead box closing, then continued on into the house, trying not to let Lex's cries pull him back to the loft.


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE:** **All the quotes that are italicized like this:** "_Apple, Bacon, Cheese..."_ **are spoken in Kryptonian.**

**WARNINGS:**********Non-Con** **Implied Mpreg****

* * *

Clark remembered dreaming about his first time with Lex.

Sure, the majority of the time was spent throwing blows, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. It was his first time, with Lex, and he felt everything. He felt Lex's punches, felt the pain, and then the unbelievable sensation of fucking Lex. Then he felt fingers closing around his throat. That was different. Then the fingers squeezed tighter, making it hard for Clark to breathe. His dream slowly dissolved, the image of Lex vanishing. Clark then realized he really couldn't breathe.

He woke up, gasping for air, his throat closing tighter and tighter. _**Lex**_, his mind screamed, _**I need Lex. **_He coughed and spluttered. He fell out of the bed, knocking over his bedside table, a lamp crashing onto the floor.

"Clark?" His mother called. Clark opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out. "Clark?" She called again, alarmed. He heard footsteps rushing up the stairs and towards his room, when they stopped, he heard, "Clark!" His vision was going grey and narrow as hands pulled him up into a half-sitting position.

His arms flailed, grabbing and holding on to anything he could. _**Lex, Lex, Lex**_. "Mom," he gasped. His blood was pounding in his head, and it felt like it would explode. He couldn't breathe. Whatever it was in him that was doing it, it was killing him. "Lex!" He managed to cough out.

"Martha?" Johnathan called.

Clark's heart lept as he heard the sound of Lex's footsteps also. His throat relaxed a fraction, letting him breathe in deeply before it closed again. His mother sobbed, hugging Clark to his chest. Clark fought the urge to push her away. The grip on his throat tightened impossibly, almost like fingers around his throat.

"In here! Hurry!" Heavy thuds echoed through the house as the two men ran up to the room.

"Oh, my God!" His father exclaimed, kneeling by Clark.

"Kal-El!" Lex cried, moving around in front of him. A tidal wave of...something rushed over Clark, releasing his throat. Clark jumped up, embracing Lex as he coughed and gasped for air, as if he was drowning.

"Lex," he croaked.

"_Be calm, Kal-El._"Lex spoke in Kryptonian. Clark pulled back from him. The Kents stared at Lex like he grew a second head. Lex focused only on Clark as he spoke, "_The seizing will pass in time._"

"Seizing?" Clark asked, in English. "Is that what you call it?" His throat burned. Speaking only made it hurt worse. His parents held him protectively.

"What the hell was that?" Johnathan asked. Clark sat up straighter, holding on to his mother for comfort. Martha patted his head, kissing his forehead as they waited for Lex to answer.

"_I forgot how to speak English._"Lex said, again in Kryptonian. "_Another benefit of your father's educational mind-rape. You have to translate."_ Clark nodded, once again feeling like a monster. What kind of torture was Lex going through if something as simple as speaking a language he was born with disappeared?

Clark translated the best he could as Lex explained, "Unlike humans, Kryptonians didn't lose most of their animal traits through evolution. While humans still maintain the biological urge to mate, they are able to move from partner to partner. An evolutionary trait created from the need of procreation, so males can father more offspring. Kryptonian genetics are more finite, however, meaning that chances for reproduction are slim if their biologic make-up isn't similar. That is why the Houses of Krypton have maintained their genetic heritage. It is physically impossible to bear children if their DNA is different. The meteor shower, as we all know, mutated the genetics of all the affected. Mutated to the point where Kryptonians are compatible with humans." Clark stopped.

A heavy silence pressed in on them. Martha and Johnathan shared a look. Johnathan shook his head. Lex sat, feeling like a bug under a microscope. His head ached, and the voices were forcing their way through him, wanting to escape, but he kept his mouth shut, sweating with effort.

"That's what Jor-El was talking about." Clark sighed. "It's impossible. Men, I mean, two men can't-" he trailed off, unwilling to finish.

"_The urge to mate is no longer a choice,_ _Kal-El_," Lex said, like an apology. "_It is a mission brought on by evolution. You are the last son of Krypton._" Lex cut himself off, his face twisting into a grimace. He coughed and worked his jaw, "Cl-Clark, the d-d-desire to p-proc-create will fight y-you." He huffed in frustration and cursed in Kryptonian.

"You're saying, Clark's instincts are fighting back?" Martha asked. Lex nodded, the effort of speaking English still visible in his face. "What happened up there, Lex?"

"Jor-El forced the fortress' data into Lex's brain." Clark spoke.

"Jesus," Johnathan breathed. He slowly stood, pacing the room. Clark slowly withdrew from his mother, curling in on himself.

"Why on Earth would he do that?" Martha asked. Lex shot a glare towards Clark, who turned his back to them. Martha saw the tension between them, and realized she already knew the answer.

"Because I asked him to." Clark said quietly.

"Clark," his father snapped. "You can't be serious."

"He's serious," Lex replied, slowly working through the words. Martha stood, laying a hand on Clark's shoulder. Clark shuddered, curling tighter in on himself. Lex watched the display, ashamed that he wasn't the one comforting him, but the symbols rushing through the air in front of his eyes reminded him why he was bitter.

"I said I was sorry." Clark whined. Lex slowly moved to sit on the bed, leaving Clark sitting on the floor.

"Clark," Johnathan scolded, "you of all people know what kind of monster Jor-El-"

"And what kind of monster I'm becoming!" Clark sighed, standing.

Lex took a moment to appreciate the view. Clark never wore a shirt to bed. More than once Lex had caught him sleeping with no pants either, but Lex knew that was for his benefit than Clark's. Sneaking around with Clark was no easy feat. Especially since they discovered just how destructive Clark can be in the heat of the moment.

Lex cut off his thoughts when Clark sat beside him. The sadness in his eyes could douse a wildfire if he looked at it just right. "I'm becoming a monster, Dad. I'm wanting to kill. The last time someone took Lex away from me, I wanted to rip them apart. Everytime Lex gets hurt, or he disappears, I want to kill. To destroy everything in my path until I find him."

"_On Krypton, that instinct is completely normal._" Lex said.

Clark shook his head. "Krypton or not, I'm not a killer."

"We know, Clark." Martha cooed, taking his hand. "You should have talked with us about this. It could be part of your development. Like Lex said, it could be your hormones."

"Mom," Clark pleaded. "I can't stop it. H-h-_He_ is in here." He tapped his temple, grimacing. "Kal-El is in my head, telling me to do things."

"What kind of things?" Martha asked. Desperation for answers filled the room, making her claustrophobic.

"I don't know," he lied. The three stared at him, unconvinced. He sighed, "Look, it's not like he's asking for ice cream and cake, okay? I don't think I could tell my mom and dad what he's wanting from me." Martha pulled back, hurt flashing across her face before she hid it. Johnathan's face was set in a grim frown.

"Martha, let's go downstairs. Lex, I think it's about time you two talked." Lex nodded to himself as the older couple walked out of the room and down the stairs. Martha kept her eyes on Clark until they disappeared from sight.

* * *

Lex shifted to face Clark, who was staring down at his hands. "_Kal-El?_"

"Don't call me that, Lex!" Clark snapped, not looking up. "I am not him. I'm not that-that monster."

"_I know, but your Earth name is hard to say in Kryptonian. What does __**He**__ want?"_ Clark shook his head again, dropping it into his hands.

"I can't, Lex." Lex moved closer to Clark, wrapping his arms around him. Clark leaned into him, resting his head on Lex's chest. Clark winced as thoughts he thought were dormant came roaring back to life, taking the shape of his scarred alter-ego. "He's here, Lex. He's back."

Lex took a deep breath, combing his fingers through Clark's thick hair. "_Tell me, son of El_."

"Lex, you don't understand. I can't just tell you. He's...-He's," Clark stopped, yanking himself out of Lex's grip and gripping his head. Pain lanced through his skull, his mind feeling like it was splitting in half. "Lex, I-I can't."

"_Tell me, Kal-El_."

Clark groaned, shutting his eyes. His body jerked, and his hands shook. He vaguely heard Lex speak again, but he couldn't understand. It was like strangling that thug all over again. His mind became nothing but white noise. He could picture his Kryptonian self, smirking, stretching his limbs, preparing for a fight. _**It's only a matter of time, farmboy. The longer you fight, the weaker you get. All I have to do is wait.**_

Lex pulled Clark's hands away from his face, suddenly kneeling on the floor in front of him. "_Tell me what you want._" A surge of heat rushed through Clark. It was hot, running down his back and limbs like scalding water.

"No!" Clark gasped. If he didn't know any better, he would have looked around for red Kryptonite. He felt his mind slipping out from under him, and then he was falling. He didn't know if he really screamed Lex's name, but in his head, he did.

* * *

Kal-El raised up his head, a sly smile on his face. The human knelt in front of him. A sight Kal-El wasn't opposed to. The human visibly stiffened, straightening his back to look into Kal-El's face.

"_Who are you?" _The language of Krypton sounded disconnected and barbaric on the human's tongue. Kal-El laughed to himself, amused.

"_You sound like a child reared by wolves, mutant. Speak our tongue as much as you desire for you will never reach our height._" The human sneered, forcing his shoulders back and his chin high. The farmboy has chosen well. This mutated human had nerve.

"_Your height only achieved destruction, Kal-El. It was only by a stroke of fortune that Jor-El sent you here."_ The human scowled, a fire of anger burning in his eyes. Kal-El found the sight exciting.

"_I am here, human, and you are at my mercy." _The human chuckled, causing Kal-El to draw back, as if he was struck.

"_You are at the mercy of your body, son of Krypton. You fought hard to reveal yourself. What do you want?" _

The human saw nothing but blurs, but Kal-El saw every movement he made. He left the human kneeling in the floor as he ran through town, retrieving the proper attire for his body. None of these plebian rags the farmboy adored. The tiny rathole of a town they lived in barely had anything proper, but he would have to make do until he and the human could travel. Arrangements would have to be made, of course. He chose something simple, for simple was all these humans have. Blood red shirt with charcoal pleated pants and a matching sports coat. Yes, simple. He smirked as he sped back to the farm, stopping in his room.

He watched the human fall back, stunned. The human looked around wildly before he caught sight of Kal-El, jumping in shock.

"I never understood the farmboy's wardrobe. I certainly couldn't understand why a well-groomed man like yourself found it appealing. What do you think?" He took joy in the human's scrutiny. He took in Kal-El's appearance. Kal-El chuckled when he saw the human struggle to hide his arousal.

Lex's heart lept. It had been so long since he saw Clark's body dressed so...so good. The coat came in, accentuating Clark's already narrow waist, but it fit across his broad shoulders perfectly. The sleeves stretched over his large biceps, and his pants hugged the curves of his ass. His mouth went dry and he felt heat shoot through his body. He shook it off, seeing the pleased smirk on his face.

"_What do you want, Kal-El?" _Lex seethed. Kal-El frowned.

"You're not aroused, human?" he asked.

Lex shrugged. He's played this game many times. Albeit, this was the first time a man played this game with him, but how different could it be? "_I am, but I am in control of my body. I will not give in to you. I am not yours."_

The world blurred around Lex and his stomach lurched into his throat as Kal-El sped him away. They were only running for a minute, maybe less, before everything around him froze into place and he was airborne. He briefly noticed the cold temperatures before he landed on the ground, his head cracking on the icy ground. The world swam and he felt sick, a concussion. He rolled over on to his side, his eyes shut as he gasped for breath. The frozen air was a relief as he fought off the nausea.

"You are mine, human. Jor-El knows it. I know it, and you know it. Accept it!" Kal-El's voice echoed through the fortress, making it more menacing.

"_I have a name!_" Lex shouted. He shook, both from cold and fear, as Kal-El laughed.

"Very well, Lex." Lex suddenly regretted saying anything. The way Kal-El said his name, like a swear word and a dirty secret combined, sent ice down his spine.

"_What do you want?!_" Lex yelled, sitting up. The nausea had passed, his healing already taking affect. Kal-El stood by the console, his hands hovering over the myriad of crystals.

"Ugh! I grow tired of you butchering our language!" He snatched a crystal from the console, jamming it into another slot. Lex winced as a blinding light filled the room, then cried out when his head felt like a bullet went through it.

When the light faded, Kal-El knelt in front of Lex, glaring at him. When Lex spoke, the words came out in English. "What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious, Lex? Do I look, or sound, familiar?" His eyes reminded Lex of a panther. You could look into those eyes, and know that you were going to die, but you couldn't help but admire the beauty and the heat of that gaze.

"We've met three times. The last time you were out, you tried to kill me." Kal-El smiled. It was dark. It was scary as hell. It made Lex's blood race.

"You tried to kill me, too." Kal-El reached out, fingertips brushing Lex's cheek. Lex drew back, but Kal-El caught the back of his neck. He felt Kal-El's fingers slip. His head was bleeding where he struck the ground. "You want to know what I want. What I _need._" Lex was frozen to the spot. He knew what Kal-El needed. The knowledge tearing his brain apart told him exactly what he needed. The Kryptonian's smirk slowly grew as he saw the fear in Lex's eyes. "You're afraid."

"It's a human reaction. Pain is not exactly something to look forward to." Lex jumped when Kal-El ripped away his shirt. A sense of calm filled him, even though his heart pounded and his hands shook. Kal-El's hands, calloused with Clark's farmwork, spread over his chest. He trembled.

Clark was always gentle. Kal-El was sure, demanding. Clark always made sure Lex was okay. Kal-El tore his clothes to shreds, biting his neck. Clark was always scared to hurt him. Kal-El left bruises, drew blood, and brought tears to Lex's eyes.

"_You fear me. You hate me. You are mine."_

Lex winced when the cold air brushed over his body, memories of another time in the arctic. One of the most painful, but also one of the happiest times of his life. The eyes staring into his were familiar, but cold, as cold as the ice around them.

"I'm afraid of you," he said as Kal-El turned him over. "I hate you." He heard a belt clinking open and a zipper pulling down. "_But you will never control me. Use me and hurt me, but in the end, that plebian farmboy will win." _He cried out when something in his arm popped under Kal-El's grip, but then Kal-El gripped his throat, cutting off his air. He uselessly clawed at the alien's grip as his vision faded.

"_You once promised me the world, human. You promised me that we would be the stuff of legends." _Lex felt like his head was about to pop off. He felt his blood pounding and his ears started ringing. "_You are the future of Krypton, human. It is time for you keep your word." _He felt the familiar heat of Clark's body, but that was all he could notice before the tunnel vision swallowed the world, and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Warnings:** Non-Con and graphic imagery...not to mention, a depressed Clark... :(

* * *

**Earlier:**

_Blood. Blood everywhere. A body as pale as the ice around them was writhing, crying out in agony as boiling hot pressure grew in his body. He laughed, deep in his chest, as the man beneath him sobbed, tears flowing freely down his face. He could feel it. The mutation of the human's body, and what it would mean for the future of his race. His instincts plowed forward, ripping a powerful orgasm from his body. On the last thrust, the human screamed, loud and long. When Kal-El pulled away, blood covered him in patches, from head to toe. He couldn't help but feel pride. How could he not? This arrogant human, so foolishly thinking he had any power over the Son of Krypton! _

_Another scream ripped through his head. He clutched it, seething. The traitorous farmboy! He felt pain of his own, but it was deep in his chest. It was a clawing, twisting, and ripping sensation inside of him, tearing a throaty growl from him. _

_**"You monster!"**_ _The voice inside of him cried. He fought the mind inside of him, while the human slowly lost awareness. Inside, the farmboy lashed out, screaming in rage. Kal-El jerked with the sensation, feeling himself slowly fading._

_**"No! We have a mission we must fulfill!" **__He cried, folding in on himself. The farmboy was pushing forward, rage and pain pressing in on Kal-El like fire. __**"Is one human runt worth the death of Krypton?" **__The boy didn't answer, but Kal-El's mind was slipping even further, with no struggle. __**"I will come back, Clark Kent. You know that."**_

_**"And I will do everything in my power to keep him from you. I'll kill us before we hurt him again." **__Kal-El smirked, almost completely withdrawn._

_**"We'll see about that, farmboy."**__ Everything fell away into darkness for both of them._

* * *

Lex wished he was dead. Not because of the pain, or the feeling of being violated, but because he knew, like a switch being flipped, that when he woke up, the man that would be sitting there would be Clark, not Kal-El. Clark would be there, upset and broken. He knew him too well. He also knew that if Clark reached out to touch him, he would flinch. His body wouldn't know the difference.

Those green eyes he loved were dull, watery, and in agony. Clark sat in front of him, curled into a tight ball, visibly trying to keep himself together.

"What hurts?" He whispered, afraid to speak any louder.

Lex took in the jaw-aching pains that racked his entire body. Everything hurt, but a spike of sharp fire shot up his spine, making him groan. Clark shuddered, struggling to breathe evenly.

"I don't know," Lex answered honestly. Clark shook his head, biting his lips shut, tears building up in his eyes.

"Your shoulder is dislocated." He mumbled, trembling. "You're covered in bruises. There are bite marks on your neck and chest. Your...um, your-your ripped. That's where most of the blood c-c-came...f-f-fro-" Clark lept to his feet, shaking, sobbing. "Lex, I...I-I, oh my God, _what have I done?!_" He collapsed to his knees on the other side of the room, but Lex couldn't move. His body was thankfully half-numb from shock, but that also meant that this pain that kept him frozen in place was only a pale echo of what was to come. "Lex, I'm so...-I'm sorr-," his words fell to a primal howl. The howl ripped out Lex's heart. So much pain. Too much pain.

"Clark, please." He begged. Clark howled again, driving his fist into the ground. Lex tried to move, to go over to him, but he had no strength. "Clark, it wasn't-"

"_Don't you fucking lie to me!_" Clark bellowed, glaring at Lex. Lex drew back, fear gripping him. "It is my fault. He went after you and I couldn't-..." he collapsed, crying. He spoke so low that Lex could barely hear him, "I couldn't protect you."

"Clark, please," he begged again, desperate for his Clark, his rock. Clark looked up, his eyes dead, with no light. "Clark," he sighed. "Let's just go home. _Please_, let's just go home."

Clark stared at Lex, and Lex felt horrified. His Clark was gone. This Clark was beaten, haunted, and Lex felt like he was the one who broke him.

_"My love," _Lex breathed in Kryptonian. Clark howled again, his voice cracking. "_Love, the man who did this is a monster. You are not the monster." _Clark moved toward him, his hands hovering over Lex's body. Lex mentally prepared for Clark's touch, but then Clark yanked his hands away, his bottom lip quivering.

"I can't, Lex. I'm scared I'll hurt you again." He moved away from Lex, towards the console. He pulled the octoganal key out of his pocket. He caught Lex's eye, and terror washed over Lex, chilling him to the bone.

"Clark, no." Clark didn't respond as he inserted the key into the console. "Clark, no, please!" Lex could imagine the horrified faces of Martha and Johnathan Kent, once again facing a parent's worst nightmare. "Please!" Lex begged. He pushed himself forward, using every reserve of strength he had. If he could just get to Clark, hold him, maybe he could convince him to stay, but then snow and wind started to whip around him. "Clark, please!" He cried, reaching a hand out to him. Clark stayed, out of reach, as blinding light surrounded Lex. Lex tried to grab whatever he could, to anchor himself in the confusion, but there was nothing. The light grew brighter and white hot. Lex screamed in frustration as the shadow that was Clark was disappearing in the blaze.

"I love you, Lex. I love you." Everything under him fell away, and he fell screaming.

* * *

Oliver had an arrow trained on the target. It had been a slow night in Metropolis, so he turned in early and decided to fill in the time with target practice. He placed it at the end of the roof, with another arrow already set in the center. He often gave himself this challenge. His best run was two out of five. He would graze it mostly, and break it, sure, but split the arrow straight down the middle? It was always fun.

His phone started chiming, making him release the arrow. He cursed as it struck the bullseye, but parallel to the arrow. He snatched the ringing phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and pressing it to his ear, without seeing who it was.

"Whoever this is, it better be good," he snapped.

Heavy breathing forced its way over the line. "Oliver," the voice pleaded. He instantly recognized Clark's voice, even though it was thick with emotion.

"Clark, what's wrong?"

"Listen," he said urgently, "I want you to promise me, no matter what, you will protect Lex from me."

"Clark, what are-"

"Promise me!" Clark yelled over the line, making Oliver flinch.

"Okay, okay, I promise." He threw down his bow, moving to edge of the roof, looking out over Metropolis, half-expecting to see Clark somewhere. "What's going on, Clark?"

"I mean it, Oliver. I want you to make Kryptonite arrows. Tell Chloe to track down Kryptonite jewelry, weapons, anything, and give it to everyone. I mean it, Oliver, _everyone!_"

"You have my word, Clark," even though Oliver looked around wildly, desperate for an explanation. "What the hell is going on, Clark?"

He heard Clark sob over the phone, which didn't help his sense of dread. "Lex is in the Kuwatche Caves and he's hurt. I need you to take him to a doctor, and to watch over him. He's in serious danger. Whatever happens, you don't let me near him. From this point on, don't trust me, at all. Lex will explain."

"Clark, what-"

"From now on, I'm the bad guy." Oliver called Clark's name again, but the line went dead. Fear settled in his stomach like a stone. He gathered his things in one hand, and hurriedly dialed the phone with another. It rang four times before Rebecca, his personal assistant finally picked up.

"Hello?" she slurred.

"Becky," he barked. "I need you to call my personal physician and have him meet me in Smallville immediately, promise him double the pay if you have to. I also need you to make arrangements for me to stay long term in Smallville, as well. There is a...family matter I must be there for."

On the other side of the line was nothing but cursing and things crashing as she was obviously stumbling out of bed, "Of course, Mr. Queen, right away, sir! Shall I also tell Mr. Evrat to take over the business matters?"

"Yes, absolutely, thank you, Becky." He hung up the phone, rushing down to his apartment. He dialed the phone again. This time, it only took one ring.

"Chloe Sullivan," Chloe's voice answered.

"Chloe! It's Oliver. Clark and Lex are in trouble." He rushed around the penthouse, throwing clothes into a duffel bag. "I'll explain later, but right now, we need to find Lex. Clark said he's in the caves."

"Why isn't Clark there?" she asked.

He paused, staring at the pile of balled up clothes in the bag. "I don't know," he replied.

* * *

Oliver killed the engine of the Porsche, hopping out of the driver's side. Chloe was waiting for him halfway into the field, flashlight hanging loosely in one hand.

"Where's the doctor?" She asked when he jogged up to her.

"I told him to wait at the Kents. There's no telling what we'll find down there after the way Clark acted. He sounded awful. I hope Lex is okay...for Clark's sake." Chloe rolled her eyes. She reached into her bag, bringing out another flashlight, though Oliver didn't think they would need them for long. Dawn was only an hour away.

"Here." She said, handing him a small metal box. "The box is lead, just in case it's our Clark we run into." Oliver opened the box, seeing a small silver chain with a dog tag attached.

"A dog tag?" He asked, pulling it out. The tag had no writing, just a line of green stone going straight down the center. It looked like something he would wear. He looped it around his neck, the tag hanging over his heart.

"Kryptonite jewelry isn't that hard to find in Smallville." She said, pulling out another item, much bigger than the necklace. It was in a metal sheath. The sheath looked like it was hammered into place, beaten around the large knife inside. "Weapons, however, a harder to come by." She pulled the knife out, holding it out to him. He took it. It looked like a simple kitchen knife, but the edges were coated with Kryptonite. The edges were uneven, so uneven that Oliver considered giving it back. It was such a poor job that he didn't really want to carry it. "Before you say anything," she said, "that was the only one I could find under short notice. It won't win a beauty pageant, but it will hurt Clark enough that he'll back off."

"Would it kill him?" he asked.

She gave a humorless laugh, "It's not like we need to be equipped to kill-" Oliver gave her a heavy look, cutting her off. "Oh, God," she breathed. "He sounded that desperate?" He nodded, and all the air rushed out of her in a huff.

"We need to find Lex." Oliver said, changing the subject. Chloe nodded, but she still looked shaken. They started towards the caves, flashlights held out in front of them. Oliver held the knife, the sheath stuffed hastily in his pocket. He doubted Clark would show, but he didn't want to be caught by Clark unarmed, either. "Do you have any Kryptonite on you?"

"There's some in the bracelet and earrings I'm wearing. When it comes to me, Clark tends to go for the thro-..." She stopped, shivering. "Never mind." They ran up to the cave's entrance, and climbed inside.

The caves closed in around them, making Oliver sweat. None of them knew about his touch of claustrophobia, but then again, he wouldn't advertise it. "Lex?" he called, his voice echoing off the walls.

"Lex, it's us." Chloe added. "Clark told us you were here." The froze when they heard something that sounded like an animal. "What was that?" Chloe hissed, staring wide-eyed at Oliver. Oliver shrugged.

"Lex," he yelled, "talk to us, Lex. Where are you?" They continued into the caves, entering the large chasm where all the cave paintings were. Oliver looked around, the paintings stealing his attention. He had seen pictures, sure, but to see them in person. That was somehow more impressive.

"Lex!" Chloe gasped, running to the other end of the room. Oliver startled, tearing his gaze away from the paintings, and ran after her.

Lex was lying on his side, facing away from them, as they rushed up to him. "Lex, are you hurt?" Oliver asked. They knelt behind him, Chloe holding up her flashlight as Oliver looked him over. There was lots of blood, but Oliver couldn't tell where it was coming from. "Lex?" Oliver said again, turning him over onto his back. Lex groaned, long and pitifully, but he stayed motionless, his eyes closed. Oliver leaned closer to him, tapping Lex's cheek. "Lex, come on, wake up."

"Leave me here." Lex breathed, almost too quiet for Oliver to hear. Even though his mouth moved, his kept his eyes shut. "I want to die. Leave me here, Queen."

"Lex," Chloe cooed, taking his hand. "We've got to get you out of here. The Kents are waiting for you to come home." Lex's eyes opened then. They were foggy, unfocused. His lips then curled into a bloody smirk.

"They don't want me, and their son isn't coming home." He laughed, all of his pain replacing any humor. It made Oliver's stomach turn just to hear it. "Clark isn't coming back, but Kal-El will." Oliver bit back a yelp as Lex grabbed his shirt, and pulled him in close to his face. "Kill me. Let me die." Oliver fought to pull back. Chloe took hold of Lex's hands, trying to pry them off of Oliver. Lex didn't seem to notice. His eyes locked with Oliver's, and Oliver froze to the spot, pinned by the agony he saw. "Oliver," Lex croaked, "I can't live knowing that _he's_ out there."

"This might help," Chloe offered, linking a silver chain around Lex's wrist. It was a simple chain connected to solid metal square. In the center of the square was a round piece of Kryptonite. "I think this with Lana's old necklace will be enough."

"He won't stop," Lex deadpanned. "He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"What does he want?" Lex flinched, then jerked as he groaned in pain. Oliver pushed Chloe away, gathering Lex in his arms.

"There's no time for that," he stood, holding Lex to his chest. He forced himself not to notice blood dripping off of one of his arms. "We have to get him home." Chloe followed, and Lex just looked ahead, eyes dead, as Oliver ran all the way back to the Porsche, not worrying about stains as he laid Lex across the backseat, on his side. In the light of his car, he noticed a large bloodstain across the back of Lex's trousers. He gagged, but forced himself upright, slamming the door.

"Was that...?" Chloe turned deathly pale, the edges green. Oliver nodded, feeling weak in the knees himself. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, stifling the cry that rose in her throat.

"Chloe," Oliver said, taking her shoulders. "I need you to gather all the Kryptonite you can. The rocks, too. We need to set a perimeter around the Kents' house so Kal-El, Clark, or whoever will keep his distance." Chloe nodded, thanking Oliver with her eyes. She didn't think she could have held on at the Kents. Oliver turned towards his car, but paused, "And see if you can get your hands on Kryptonite bullets. I can handle Clark up close, but," he looked at the huddled form in the backseat of his car, "I don't think everyone else can."

She nodded, muttering a quick good-bye before she ran off to her car. Oliver slid into the driver's seat, taking deep breaths, and sped out of the field. Lex didn't say anything as Oliver sped down the highway, or as he drifted into the Kents' driveway, tossing up gravel.

It wasn't until he helped Lex out of the car, and held him as the Kents fussed over them, leading them into the kitchen, that Lex said under his breath, his eyes glaring at Oliver, "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

Oliver followed the Kents to the dining room table, which was covered in huge layers of towels and sheets, as his personal physician, Dr. Tidwell, prepared his things. Johnathan helped Oliver place Lex on the table. When everyone rushed off to grab different supplies, Oliver leaned close to Lex, "The Lex I know will live to see the day that Clark comes home."

Lex flinched, "He's never coming home, so what's the point?"

"The point is that the Lex I know would track down his Clark, hog-tie him, and drag him home. The Lex I know would see the Earth go up in smoke before he admits defeat."

Lex turned his head away, shutting his eyes tightly. "I'm not that Lex anymore."

Oliver pulled back. Dr. Tidwell rushed in, shooing away everyone but Martha, as Lex visibly tensed. Oliver smirked. The Lex he knows also hates doctors.


	5. Chapter 5

Lex cursed as the doctor stuck another damn needle in his arm. Martha petted the sweat off of his forehead, while Johnathan and Oliver stood in the kitchen, watching the doctor tend to Lex. He was still lying on the table, only covered by a thin sheet.

"I'm sorry for this, Mr. Luthor-"

"It's Sutton!" He snapped, tensing as the doctor pressed the plunger, the drugs running like fire beneath his skin.

"Mr. Sutton," Dr. Tidwell corrected, "I'm sorry for all of these injections." He rose his gaze to glare at Oliver, who was leaning against the post. "If we were in a hospital, it would be better administered through an I.V."

"No hospitals," The entire room said at once. Dr. Tidwell looked at each person, bewildered.

Martha spoke up, "Um, Lex is embarrassed by his healing ability. The doctors at the hospital always put him on display when he goes." Lex took Martha's hand, squeezing it, even though the morphine he was injected with was starting to rush through him, clouding his mind. He's always hated painkillers. They took away your better judgement and left you vulnerable. He trusted the Kents to respect it, but Oliver? He wasn't so sure.

"If I also knew what the hell happened to you, I would be able to do my job." He mumbled, wrapping Lex's ribs in guaze.

"I told you everything you need to know, Dr. Tidwell. I pay you specifically for need-to-know circumstances." Oliver stood straighter, but the physician just rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I understand that. A few black eyes and broken bones are one thing, but sexual assault this violent means you are either dealing with a psychopath, or something that's beyond human." They jumped when Lex laughed.

"You could say that, doc." Martha glared at Lex, gripping his hand with fierce pressure. Lex just shrugged, his body going limp. Oliver raised an eyebrow at the physician.

Dr. Tidwell just smiled, "It's the morphine. He'll be a little loopy for a while. Should make things easier from here on out." He put his supplies in his bag, and ripped off his gloves. "Well," he huffed, "this is all I can do at the moment. I set his shoulder back in place. His ribs are wrapped up, and there's no internal bleeding, which is shocking seeing how deep some of these bruises go. Um," He shot an apologetic look towards the Kents before going on, "I stitched him up everywhere he needed them, and he seems to be healing as well as you said he would. You are certainly a tough egg to break, Mr. Sutton."

Lex had a lopsided smile, his eyes foggy. "Not as tough as Clark." Then the smile vanished, replaced by a look of horror. "Oh, God, Clark!" He slung an arm over his face, a sob escaping his lips. Martha shushed him, kissing his forehead as Johnathan tensed.

* * *

Oliver rushed forward, taking the doctor's arm. "Thank you, Greg. There's a hotel a mile outside of the town that I reserved for you. Room 245, and it's unlimited room service on my tab. Check yourself in and make yourself comfortable. I'll call you when we need you."

"Very well, Mr. Queen." He reached into his bag, pulling out a clear vial. "This is more morphine. You know by heart now how much to give, but I suggest giving Mr. Sutton about one or two drops more. With his advanced healing ability comes a quick metabolism, meaning he will burn through this quicker than you or I would. Try to keep him resting, and I suggest you find whoever the hell did this to him. Whenever this monster comes back, he will be out to kill. Whoever did this had a terrible bloodlust, and I highly doubt he will let a prize like Mr. Sutton go. As I said, his healing ability has made him a very hard man to kill, and the thing that attacked him was determined to see exactly how hard." He placed it in Oliver's palm, then nodded. "I left needles in a small pouch beside Mr. Sutton. I suggest moving him to somewhere more comfortable. I'll be back in the morning." The doctor briefly spoke to the Kents, then left.

Dread formed in Oliver's stomach like ice. He absently twiddled the Kryptonite charm hanging around his neck, thankful he had it. Because suddenly, he realized full well what Clark's abilities was capable of without Clark there to stop it.

"Mr. Queen," Johnathan said. The Kents stood, holding each other for comfort, in the living room. Oliver took a deep breath, then walked over to them.

"Just Oliver, please." He took Johnathan's extended hand and shook it. The man tried to smile, but it couldn't break past the pain in his eyes. Oliver knew the feeling. He wasn't sure he was smiling either. "Dr. Tidwell left me some pain meds for Lex. He said we should try to move him to a more comfortable place to rest."

"He told us that, too." Martha said softly. "That's why we called you over. The loft in the barn is too cold this time of year, and we don't want to move him to Clark's room after-" she took a shaking breath, fighting back tears, "after what happened."

"He said it was Kal-El. Clark was a victim just like Lex." She nodded, pressing a fist to her mouth, biting back a sob.

"We know that," Johnathan replied, fighting to keep his face blank. "It's just another test, or whatever that bastard of a father calls it. Have you seen Clark?" Johnathan's face crumbled when Oliver shook his head.

"No, he called me just to tell me where Lex was, and also to give you these," he pulled out another necklace, much like the one he was wearing, and a charm bracelet, each charm holding a small piece of Kryptonite.

"What are those?" Johnathan asked, wary. Oliver held them up higher, letting the kitchen light catch the green color of the stones. "Absolutely not! We are not wearing that!"

"Johnathan," Martha sighed. "If Kal-El did this to Lex, the man Clark would die for. Imagine what he's capable of with us."

"Martha!" Johnathan exclaimed. "I am not using meteor rock against my son!"

"You didn't see him the last time he was Kal-El, Johnathan, I did." She turned to Oliver, taking the charm bracelet. She latched it onto her wrist, ignoring Johnathan's objections. "There is another necklace in the barn. I assume Lex will keep that one." Oliver nodded, surprised by the woman's zeal. "And have you thought of any counter-measures, in case he attacks again?These will help with his abilities, but if his instincts are as determined as Lex claimed, it won't stop him." Oliver was taken aback. Martha Kent stared him down, determined. Oliver honestly felt intimidated. Even Johanthan's purpling face of fury wasn't as scary.

"I have Chloe tracking down weapons and bullets." She nodded, with a grim frown.

"That's enough, Martha!" Johnathan snapped, rounding her to face him. "We are not using Kryptonite against Clark."

"It's not Clark!" She stood to her full height, and even though she was nearly a foot shorter than her husband, she still stood firm. "The last time I faced Kal-El, he nearly killed me, and the last time you had to face Clark, Jor-El had to give you Clark's abilities so he wouldn't kill you."

"Don't remind me, Martha. We still got him back, though, both times."

Martha grabbed Johnathan's hands, gripping them tightly. "Yes, we did, but in the end, we couldn't do it alone. Clark saved me from his other side, and Jor-El protected you from Clark. Humans can't face Clark alone. We need help. And this," she held up the charm bracelet, the green rocks shimmering in the light, "is all the help we have right now."

"In the morning, I will call my team in as security. Since Luthorcorp was signed over to me, they're sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs, anyway." They turned back to him. Martha was grateful, but Johnathan looked like he regretted allowing Oliver to stay. "Bart and Victor are in Metropolis, so they should be here by tomorrow, but A.C. is somewhere off the coast of Australia, so I give him until next week." Martha nodded before she kissed Johnathan's cheek.

"I'll go pack some things up so we can switch rooms tomorrow. Until then, we can just move Clark's mattress in here so Lex can rest in the living room. Do you want me to get you some extra blankets for the loft, Oliver?"

He held up his hands, shaking his head, "No, thank you, Mrs. Kent. I'll just take the couch. I would like to keep an eye on Lex." She nodded before leaving the room. Johnathan and Oliver stood, facing each other, before Johnathan swore under his breath, holding out his hand.

"I'll take that necklace, Oliver. Martha's right. We're no match for Clark." Oliver handed him the necklace. He slipped it over his head, the Kryptonite pendant hanging close to his neck. "I don't think Bart will be any match for Clark either. He may be faster, but Clark is stronger."

"Don't worry, Mr. Kent. Victor and Bart make a begrudging team, and all of us together make a well-balanced force against Kryptonians." Johnathan surprisingly laughed, a quick, quiet bark, but it still held mirth. He smiled until he caught sight of Lex, asleep on the dining room table, then his face fell. He looked up at Oliver with hollow eyes.

"You will try to see which one it is before you strike, right?"

Oliver looked back at Lex, too. In the warm light of the house, the bruises on Lex's face were partially hidden, and the clean, white sheet over him hid the worst of it. Oliver again felt sorry for the two of them. Clark and Lex didn't deserve this. They've been through so much already. "If he attacks first, Mr. Kent, we'll have no choice, but if he just approaches us, we'll find out if it's our Clark. He told me no matter what to kill him if he comes close, but I'm not going to do that. He doesn't deserve that. Lex doesn't, either."

"Has Lex ever mentioned exactly how far the meteor rock mutated him?" Oliver raised his brow, but just shrugged. "I only ask because while you were talking to Dr. Tidwell, he was mumbling. About a baby...and Clark said something about his body's desire to re-populate the Kryptonian race, and so-um," He scratched his head and dread settled into Oliver's stomach again. "What I am trying to say is, is Lex capable of...that? I know I'm just a farmer and stuff, but I've seen what the meteor rocks can do to people, and I wouldn't be surprised."

"What exactly did Lex say?" Johnathan paled, making Oliver even more anxious.

"He said that if Kal-El is the father, there is no hope for us." A thick silence fell over the room, suffocating them. Oliver's head was spinning and he had to sit down, or he would collapse. Johnathan apparently felt the same. "I'm going to go bring the mattress down." He rushed up the stairs, stomping the whole way, as Oliver collapsed on the little stairs leading into the living room. His stomach whirled, and his heart was pounding.

This is what the attack was all about. Procreation?! Oliver felt sick. If the monster responsible for this succeded, he would never leave. He would always be there, rearing the future Kryptonian dictators of our world. He would single-handedly ensure the domination of Earth, and create a new Krypton. There was something more going on than just survival here. Someone, or something, is warping this whole thing into some twisted scheme for world domination. But who? Who out there has the ability to control Clark on such a primal level?

He dialed Chloe, and it took a few rings before she picked up. "Chloe Sullivan?" Her words were thick and slurred with sleep.

"Chloe!" He called, jumping to his feet.

"Ollie! Is Lex okay? Did Clark show up? What's happening?" He could hear her running around her apartment, pulling on clothes and grabbing her keys. "I'm coming over there. I've already called Bart and Victor, but A.C. doesn't have his phone on him, so I guess he's coasting the reef." Oliver closed his eyes, silently thanking whoever was up there for Chloe, who knew Oliver like the back of her hand. "Just let me pack some things..."

"Actually, Chloe, I need something."

"Name it, Playboy."

Oliver rolled his eyes, "I need you to tear through the Wall of Weird and find anything besides Red Kryptonite that can influence Clark's thoughts."

"Wait, you think that more than Charles Darwin is at work here?"

"Yeah. I think something else is at play here. Whatever this is, it knows about Clark's Kryptonian roots enough to trick Clark into blaming Kal-El for this. Something deeper is going on here, and we need to find out."

"Gotcha, just let me scope out some stories and I'll be there in the morning." She hung up, leaving Oliver alone in his thoughts. What the hell has happened to Clark? Better yet, who's in Clark's head, pretending to be Kal-El?


	6. Chapter 6

A week later, as Oliver had predicted, A.C. arrived at the Kent Farm, with nothing but a bulky duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. Oliver and the others met him on the porch, their nerves frayed and thankful for the last of their team.

"Hi guys," he said, throwing down his duffel bag. He high-fived Bart and Victor, then shook hands with the Kents before he turned to Oliver. "What's been going on? Chloe sent me this the other day," he held up a tribal dolphin necklace, the tail of the dolphin glowing bright green, "but she didn't say why. I assume it has something to do with Boyscout?"

"Yeah," Oliver replied. They moved everything into the house, but Oliver paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a man standing a few miles away from the farm. The figure blurred, and suddenly Clark's body was standing less than a mile away from the driveway. He was dressed sharply in a black suit. His hair was combed back, showing his chiseled face. His eyes, however, were dead. The cold glare he sent in their direction told Oliver exactly who it was in there.

"I want to talk, human." Oliver's heart raced, but he squashed the urge to run. Just a talk, that's all it was.

Bart, noticing Oliver's hesitation, came back outside. He froze when he saw Kal-El, but shook it off to go get A.C. and Victor.

"Your guard-dogs are nothing against me." Kal-El smirked.

"Seeing what you're capable of, I ordered everyone to never face you alone." Kal-El laughed then, and the sound hit Oliver's ears like a blow.

"As if numbers improve your chances?" He moved to step forward, but then curled in on himself as hidden green rocks all around him lit up like a beacon. He stumbled back, away from the meteor rocks, and stood straight, hate blazing in his eyes.

Victor and A.C. rushed outside with Bart and stood behind Oliver. "We can talk, but we stay inside the perimeter, and my team stays with me."

Kal-El sneered, "Bring your dogs, then. What I have to say, though, you need to hear."

"And why is that?" Oliver could feel the dread building back up.

"Lex has healed quite well, hasn't he? Except he is still weak, isn't he? I bet he doesn't stay awake for more than a few hours. Am I right?" He was, but Oliver would never tell him. "A child of Krypton is growing inside of him." The men behind him tensed, and Oliver clenched his fists. That was a detail he never mentioned to his team. "Too bad humans don't know how to nurture a Kryptonian child. Or how long a Kryptonian pregnancy lasts."

"You son of a bitch!" A small voice gasped. Everyone's eyes whipped around to the front door, where Lex was standing behind the screen door, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

Kal-El stiffened, his mouth twisted in a grimace. The human was sickly, dark circles under his eyes and pale. It's been only a week. "You are foolish, Lex! Starving yourself, letting yourself slowly waste away?!"

"You're damn right I am!" Lex yelled, stumbling out onto the porch. Oliver rushed to support Lex. Lex pointed a shaky finger at Kal-El, glaring. "I want to die. I don't care anymore. You took away the one thing I had left!"

"Your pathetic farmboy is nothing to die over, Lex." Lex shivered in Oliver's arms, growing weaker by the minute. "I chose you to be the bearer of Krypton's future-"

"You didn't choose me! I'm the only option you have, you bastard!" Lex flung himself forward, forcing Oliver to step down off the porch, towards Kal-El.

"Lex," Oliver murmured.

"I'm fine," he lied, pulling them closer to the alien. Kal-El moved closer to the farm, flinching as the rocks glowed. "You can't touch me here, Kal-El."

"You really don't know who you're dealing with, Lex. As a Luthor, you thought yourself untouchable. Threatening whoever got in your way? Manipulating everyone around you? Burying yourself into a person's past just so you could maintain an iron grip on their future? And now? You are completely powerless and the minute your little protectors make a mistake, I will show you just how powerless you have become."

"We won't make mistakes." Oliver shouted, trying to pull Lex away from the alien in front of them. "We don't care whoever you claim to be." The alien visibly bristled, pure rage flitting across his face. Lex struggled to get closer, all the while cursing Kal-El. Oliver struggled to pull him back, but Lex fought as hard as he could. As much as Lex claimed to hate this man, his body was fighting hard to reach the alien.

"Very clever." Kal-El's rage faded from his eyes, replaced with a smirk. "Having trouble with Lex, Mr. Queen?"

"It's fine," he grunted. The three men behind them watched, confused, waiting for any sign to act. "Lex," he hissed into the other man's ear, "stop. If you cross the rocks, you're his." Lex stopped, sagging suddenly into Oliver's arms. "Lex?"

Lex stared at Kal-El, fear and apprehension on his face. "I didn't even know I was getting closer." He stood, turning his back to the alien as he leaned in to whisper, "Something isn't right, Oliver..." Oliver called Bart over to lead Lex back into the house. Lex just stared straight back at Kal-El as he was led back. Kal-El ignored Oliver, A.C., and Victor as Lex left. Oliver started when a brief flash of something warm passed through Kal-El's eyes. It was a flash of emotion, but it was an emotion Oliver had seen in those eyes a million times. Clark was there.

"I suppose you won't explain that, would you?" Victor said.

The alien looked at Victor with amusement. "That's actually an issue of concern we share. As Lex's pregnancy takes hold, he will subconciously desire the father. If he doesn't come with me right now, you'll see exactly how severely the desire takes hold."

The three jumped as Lex cried out. Kal-El smirked, crossing his massive arms.

"What's happening to him?!" A.C. snapped, stepping forward. Oliver blocked him, standing between them. Kal-El still smirked, but Victor moved forward when he noticed the tension around his eyes.

"Whatever it is, you feel it, too." The alien glared at Victor. "You're being affected by this as much as Lex is." Lex cried out again, this time Kal-El jerked, as if supressing a flinch.

"What the hell is going on?!" Oliver barked, pushing A.C. back towards Victor, who took his arm in a tight grip.

"Lex's mutation is advancing. His body is simply adjusting for his purpose."

"Bull!" A.C. yelled, trying to yank himself out of Victor's grip. The alien met their gaze calmly, whatever pain he was experiencing now gone.

"It's not Lex's pain you're feeling, is it? It's someone else's-"

"Stay on your toes, you filthy animals!" Kal-El snapped, his eyes blazing. "The next time I come, Lex will be mine!" Air rushed around them as Kal-El vanished as suddenly as he came. Victor released A.C., letting him stumble forward, and Oliver's breath rushed out of him with a whoosh.

* * *

Lex cried out again, but louder. They turned in time to see Martha rushing out of the door, calling for them. They ran back to the house. Oliver quickly sent a text to Dr. Tidwell as they rushed up the porch, and up the stairs to Lex's room.

Bart and Johnathan had Lex pinned to the floor by his bed as Lex writhed and groaned in pain. Oliver and A.C. kneeled by his feet, pinning his ankles as he kicked.

"What the hell is going on, Oliver?!" A.C. snapped, struggling to hold down Lex's leg as he screamed. "Was whoever he is saying what I think he was saying? Is that really happening here?"

Lex screamed again, but this time he screamed Clark's name. The others looked as hopeless as Oliver felt as Lex writhed on the floor. "Martha!" he cried. "Get the pack of needles from the kitchen." She stood frozen by the doorway, a shaking hand over her mouth. "Martha!" he yelled. She jumped, looking at Oliver, but then ran out of the room. Lex cried Clark's name again, tears pouring out of his eyes.

Oliver was relieved to hear Martha's boots thunking up the stairs before a small black case was held out in front of him.

"I don't think morphine will help." She said, taking Oliver's place on the floor. Oliver hurriedly opened the case, pulling out a vial of liquid, and measuring out a dose. "Oliver?"

"It's not morphine. Dr. Tidwell also gave me a sedative for him." He moved around to Lex's head, where Bart and Victor held Lex's head down, baring his neck.

"Clark, please! Come back! _Clark!_" Lex cried and thrashed, making Oliver hesitate with a needle so close to his neck. "Clark!" Oliver took a deep breath, injecting Lex with the sedative. His jerking and writhing slowed, his words slurring and his eyes drooping. The men continued to hold him as he slowly sank under the drugs. "Clark," he breathed. His head lolled to the side, his eyes staring up at Oliver with a foggy look. "We need him, both of us-" His words turned into groaning as he lost consciousness. The room fell silent, but the silence was thick with questions.

"Oliver?" Bart asked, dazed. Oliver and his team picked up Lex and carried him over to the bed, where they carefully laid him down, covering him with a thin blanket. Bart looked up at Oliver, his eyes wide. "Why are we really here, man?"

"To protect Lex," he answered, but then he looked at Lex's midsection, which he could have sworn was smaller this morning. "We are here to protect Lex...and the baby." The room erupted in confused outbursts. Johnathan, Martha, and Oliver waited in silence as the others quieted.

"Is that what this whole Clark shit is about?!" Victor asked, glaring at Oliver. He nodded. The boys walked aimlessly around the room, absorbing the news in their own way. Bart mumbled under his breath, saying things like 'I knew it.' and 'No 'effing way!' A.C. paced across the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. Victor just leaned against the wall, his head propped on his fist.

"Look, guys," Oliver said, grabbing their attention. "We always knew Clark was something else entirely, same with Lex. And now? They once again are changing the world as we know it. It's up to us to decide which way our futures go. Whatever is there controlling Clark, we have to keep him away from Lex and the baby. If we fail, our entire planet will be taken over by the new Krypton. We have to protect Lex and the child, and hopefully, save Clark."

"So this is a mission of procreation?" Chloe asked. They all jumped, none of them hearing Chloe arrive. "Sorry, I saw Clark, or whatever he was, talking to you guys so I hid until he left. These little trinkets are useful, but I don't think they're completely Clark-proof. I've got some more articles since the others were a bust." She held up a thick manilla folder filled with newspaper clippings. "These are all from the Lana days, so there's definitely some mental episodes in here."

Oliver looked at Lex, then the others, before sighing. "Everybody with me. We need all the eyes we can get." They followed Chloe down into the kitchen where she laid out the clippings, each pile color-coded. Martha stayed with Lex, sitting by his bed. Oliver and Martha shared a heavy look before he went down the stairs.

"Green pile was Kryptonite-related. Blue pile is magic, and the red pile were phantom-related." They each grabbed a pile flipping through the pages.

"I've got green." Bart called, flipping through the clippings faster than the others could see. "Hey Chloe, what was this about silver Kryptonite?"

Chloe spun on her heel, taken aback. "Um, that was quick, even for you." She took the offered clipping from him, reading it over briefly before she spoke. "Clark stuck himself with a splinter of silver Kryptonite. Basically, it made him super-paranoid."

"Is there anything he does that's less than super?" A.C. grumbled, slowly skimming his blue pile.

Chloe rolled her eyes, huffing. "Anyway, he thought everyone was out to get him, and he was about to kill Lana, but then Milton Fine saved him by extracting it before he could hurt anyone."

Victor looked up from his red pile, "Who's Milton Fine?"

"He was this other Kryptonian. He was like Jor-El 2.0. He was an artificial intelligence who was out to-" Chloe stopped, eyes growing wide.

"Chloe?" Oliver asked, taking her arm. She looked at him like a deer in the headlights for the longest time before she finally blinked, gasping.

"You don't think it's Fine, do you? I mean, he's not a huge fan of Clark and Lex, but I can't imagine why he would go this far." She walked over to Oliver, handing him the article, where a picture of a poised, almost robotic-looking man was pasted next to the article.

"What's the story on Fine, Chloe?"

She scratched her head, almost bouncing on her feet with coiled energy. From what he knew about Chloe, that was a sign that they were on the right track. "He was Clark's college professor for a while. Then Lex found a black spaceship, and everything went to hell. First Lana was trying to find it, then Clark, and then all of a sudden, Milton Fine started foaming at the mouth for it." She rushed back over to the red pile, flipping through some pages before she pulled out a grainy photo of a large black object. Oliver would have called it a lot of things, but spaceship was not one of them. "He and Lex started butting heads, and I'm not talking funny giraffe fights. I'm talking hardcore, to the death, elephants. They were at each other's throats, but nobody knew exactly why Fine wanted the ship so badly."

"It was his, wasn't it?" Chloe nodded, and Oliver suddenly felt like a small weight had lifted off his chest. That had to be it.

"Then the ship disappeared with Fine. Lex kept following him all over the world, but eventually Fine disappeared altogether. Clark never said much about it, but what he did tell me was Fine treated him like the Messiah of Krypton. That he absolutely had to follow his destiny to rebuild Krypton, no matter what."

"And we all know how Clark is with people telling him what to do." Victor deadpanned, throwing down his stack of clippings. "If I was begging for my planet back, I would do whatever it took to get it."

"Including hijacking your so-called Messiah?" Bart asked, sitting on the counter.

"That would have been one of the first things on the to-do list." Chloe replied, crossing her arms. "Nothing brings down a hero faster than a broken heart."

"And with Clark under his control," A.C. added, joining the group. "the blood is on his own hands, making the hurt even worse."

"Clark's worst fear," Chloe said. They stood in a tense silence. Chloe shook with worry, not even being able to imagine the emotional torture Clark must be going through. She could only hope that when he came back, there would still be some of the golden boy she grew up with left in him.

Oliver turned away from them, staring at the man's dead eyes in the picture. There's no doubt that this is the reason why, but how could he possibly have done it? And was there still hope? Yes, there was. "Clark is still in there." Oliver said, turning to his team. "I saw it in his eyes. Clark is still there, fighting, and we have to help him. Lex's pain is only fueling Clark's desire to break free."

"How the hell do we do that?" Bart jumped down from the counter. "We can't exactly say 'Swiper, no swiping', and Clark will pop out."

Oliver looked at Chloe, but she shrugged. "I don't think black Kryptonite will help with this either. I think this is something different. We may have to go to a higher power."

"Well, while we're in church, I'll be sure to let the big guy know," A.C. replied, frowning. Chloe and Oliver glared at him before shaking their heads.

"What I mean is, who better to decide the fate of the future of Krypton than a Kryptonian? I think if we tell Jor-El exactly what kind of danger Clark and Lex are in, he'll help. He wants Krypton to return, but I don't think he's willing to lose his son to the cause. He may not win Father of the Year, but he isn't he Tin Man either."

Footsteps suddenly started thumping through the house, rushing towards them. They all turned to see Johnathan walking up to them, panic-stricken. "It's Lex," was all he said before he and Oliver rushed up the stairs.

Oliver walked into the room, where Lex was still asleep on the bed. Martha sat beside him, holding his hand tightly, but her eyes were blown wide. He moved around her to look at the man in the bed, but he didn't need to move far to see what has happened.

Lex was still covered by the thin blanket, but down around his midsection, there was a small bump. If he turned on his side, you wouldn't see it, but lying flat on his back, the blanket curled around it, making it impossible to ignore.

"Lex was still twisting and turning in his sleep, but once he calmed down, I saw this." Martha laid a hand gently on Lex's stomach, but then pulled it back. "That's not all." She took Oliver's hand, pressing it where she had hers. The bump was solid under his hand, as if it had always been there, but then Lex's stomach jerked. Oliver pulled back his hand as if he was burnt, staring at Lex's protruding belly.

"Martha?" He asked.

"It was a kick." Her face was twisted between different emotions. Oliver could barely make out any of them, but he didn't fail to notice a warm, almost proud, emotion in her eyes, the look of a mother. "That was the baby kicking."

Oliver's world swam around him again. Saving Clark would have to come sooner than he thought...


	7. Chapter 7

"Damn it, Kal-El!" Clark's voice bellowed, echoing in the dark caves. He held his head in his hands, repeatedly banging his forehead into the wall. "Stop!"

**_Why should I? _**That same strong voice replied in his head. **_Why should Lex suffer and not you? You heard it..._**Lex's screams echoed through their head, bringing a searing stab of pain with it.

"I said stop!" He struck the stone wall, tearing away a large chunk of the cave's Kuwatche paintings. "I am doing this for the greater good of Krypton. It was your mission to bring our marvelous kingdom back, but instead, you've turned your back on us!"

Clark's image appeared behind his eyes. He imagined him chained, on his knees, bloody and bruised from a beating, but the boy's eyes? His eyes held defiance and anger. Fine scoffed. So human...**_They'll stop you. My friends won't give up until Lex is safe from you._**

"And you, too, my friend." He smirked, sliding down to sit on the uneven ground. "If you weren't a threat to begin with, I wouldn't have chosen you." He smiled as he saw the boy flinch. "As long as you breathe, Kal-El, I will be here, waiting for the sire of Krypton." The farmboy drew in on himself, trying to fight off his growing feeling of hopelessness. "Thought about names, Kal-El? Or whether it's a boy or a girl?" He suppressed a flinch as the boy screamed his misery, loud and echoing through their head.

* * *

Chloe shot up from the couch, heart pounding as a piercing scream sounded through the Kent farm. She looked over at the clock and sighed. 4 a.m. on the dot, another nightmare. She groggily rolled off the sofa, tip-toeing around Victor and A.C., who were in sleeping bags on the living room floor. She walked up the stairs quickly, trying to think of how she could stop Lex's cries.

She was at the door, ready to open it when Lex's screams dulled to sobs.

"It's okay, Lex." Her eyes widened when she recognized Oliver's voice. "It's okay. I've got you." She heard Lex whimper and mutter something to Oliver, but then Oliver shushed him. "I know, Lex. Don't worry, though. We'll get him back. I promise." Chloe turned away, cheeks burning from hearing something so...intimate, and she went back down to living room, making a mental note to corner the billionaire in the morning.

* * *

Lex trembled in Oliver's arms as he curled into his chest. Oliver rested his chin over Lex's head, stroking his back as Lex sobbed into his t-shirt.

He told Chloe to watch Lex since he was going back to Metropolis for the night, but after a dinner meeting and drinks with other Fortune 500 favorites, he managed to postpone their mergers for another couple of months, leaving him free to speed down the highway back to Smallville, barely out of the car when he heard the first scream. He sped through the house, running up to Lex's room, and found Lex tangled in his sheets, crying out Clark's name.

Oliver had run up to the bed, toeing off his shoes and pulling off his dress shirt, and crawled in beside Lex, wrapping his arms around him.

"Lex," he said, trying to wake him. "Lex, it's just a nightmare. You're okay. You're safe." Lex tried to fight off Oliver's embrace. Oliver tried to give him as much room as he could, not wanting to hurt the baby. In a month's time, he's reached the size of a woman at six months, according to Dr. Tidwell. Tomorrow would be the day they try an ultrasound, but they were still wary of what they would find. "Lex! I'm here. It's me, Oliver, remember?" He kept reassuring Lex, whispering into his ear, patting his back.

Lex finally opened his eyes, staring blankly into Oliver's face, before they flashed in recognition. "Ollie?" he asked. Oliver nodded. Lex sobbed, throwing himself into Oliver's arms, clinging tightly to him. "He was gone!" He cried. "He left and he never came back! I tried to call him, but he couldn't hear me!" Oliver shushed him, rocking them gently back and forth.

"I know, Lex." Lex shivered, and Oliver pulled the blanket up around them. "Don't worry, though. We'll get him back. I promise." He held Lex until the sun rose. Lex's sobs continued for a long time, until they dulled to whimpers, and eventually, he fell asleep. Oliver carefully laid him down, but as he turned to leave, Lex's hand shot out to grab his arm.

"Stay," Lex groaned, his eyes cracked open. "Please?" Oliver's heart lurched and his chest started to ache. He looked at the man lying in the bed and hardly recognized what was once Lex Luthor. This man looked so small and vulnerable, his belly large and round, but he still looked so broken. Oliver felt a surge of ice go up his spine as he again told himself that no matter what, he has to bring Clark back.

"Okay." He said, and Lex's eyes shone a bit brighter. Oliver adjusted the pillows, propping himself up against the headboard, as Lex came close to his body, but he stopped just short of touching him, as if he was scared. Oliver couldn't help himself as he drew Lex in closer, letting him wrap a tentative arm around him, before lying his head on his chest.

"Thank you, Oliver." He mumbled before he drifted off to sleep again. Oliver nodded, patting Lex's back again.

_**I can see what Clark sees**,_ Oliver thought, staring at the man. This man, who was so terrifying and ruthless as a Luthor, was really just gentle and scared as Lex. God knows when he's back to normal, he'll be the same strong warrior he was raised to be, but now? Oliver could see as plain as day exactly why Clark was so drawn to him. This man would deny it until the day he died, but he needed someone to watch over him. A guardian angel, of sorts.

As the sun rose up, shining into the bedroom of the Kent house, it lit up Lex's face, showing the dark circle under his eyes. But as Oliver kept looking at him, he noticed that his skin shone with the golden light. He had always heard of pregnant women glowing, but he always thought that was just to ease their worries about their weight. But no. Lex was really, for the lack of a better word, glowing in the morning sun.

"Clark," he muttered, straightening the thick comforter over Lex's shoulders. "You are once again the luckiest son-of-a-bitch I ever met."

* * *

The Kent farm was silent in the morning light. The farmboy's miserable heart ached inside their chest, seeing the farmhouse and the barn. The air outside was crisp with a small nip as the breeze blew past them. They should have been harvesting by now, his mind thought. Fine shook it off, snarling. The farmboy glared at him from inside their mind.

**_They're safe._** The truth of those words sent a wave of fury through him. _**Don't believe me? Look and find out**. _He realized with a start that his vision switched to x-ray without him knowing. He was now seeing the inside of the house, where half a dozen skeletons were wandering through the first floor, but upstairs..._**No**. _The alien smiled when he realized what he was seeing, and why the farmboy was suddenly quiet. Upstairs, there was a skeleton curled around a suspended tiny skeleton, but then again, Lex's skeleton was curled around someone else. Someone, based on the size, who was male.

"It seems that Lex isn't at all particular of who he takes comfort from." He pulled away his vision as he imagined the farmboy with his face in his hands, the heels of his palms digging into his eyes. "Wonder if it's that blonde human you think so highly of? He did seem a little too protective to just be a mere bodyguard."

The alien flinched when his head split open in pain, along with an enraged roar. **_SHUT UP! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, YOU FUCKING PARASITE! _**He laughed, even though the pain brought tears to his eyes.

"Not yet, Kal-El. Not yet. They may have Kryptonite, but it can only protect so much. It will be just a matter of time before they come to us. And your child will be mine."

**_Never. I'll die before you touch them._** The alien laughed, but then the smile slowly crept off of his face as he realized the farmboy was serious.

He grimaced, his eyes burning, swirling with fire. "We shall see about that, Son of Krypton."

As the first fireball hit the Kent house, the farmboy screamed in protest. More cries joined in from the house as flames soon surrounded the first floor of the house. He looked inside the house again to see the humans scrambling, yelling at each other and running to help the others. Two of the biggest humans rushed upstairs, where Oliver Queen already had Lex cradled in his arms, curling around the body of the unborn child.

* * *

"Lex!" A.C. and Johnathan yelled in unison, bolting up the stairs. They could hear Martha, Chloe, Victor, and Bart rushing through the house, trying to put out the fire that seemed to be everywhere.

They panted, the heat and smoke clogging their lungs, and they burst through the door. They paused when they saw a man holding Lex to his chest. Through the smoke, they couldn't see the man's face, and they thought, their hearts racing, that somehow Clark got past their barriers, but then the man yelled.

"Help me get him out of here!" A.C. rushed forward, relieved to hear Oliver's voice, even though Oliver was supposed to be in Metropolis.

"I'll take him." Johnathan panted, holding out his arms. "He doesn't weigh much." Oliver hesitated, then handed Lex to Johnathan, his brain telling him that he would be better use elsewhere. Johnathan turned and lumbered down the stairs, trying to hold Lex as gently as possible in the chaos. They heard Chloe yelling at him and Martha to go outside where it was safe.

"So what now?" A.C. asked, pulling Oliver downstairs. The heat increased ten-fold and the smoke grew thick as they hopped down into the living room. Chloe was trying to put out the couch with a thick blanket. Victor was covering the walls with thick foam from a fire extinguisher, and Bart sped around the house, using both his speed and anything he could get his hands on to stop the blaze.

"I don't know. How the hell did he do this?" He followed A.C. into the kitchen, where the sink was overflowing with water, flooding the floor. He walked as quickly as he could behind him without slipping as they grabbed pots and bowls filled with water.

"He was far enough away from the rocks to hit the house. He's got the barn, too." The roar of the fire, and the groans of the house echoed around them as the flames grew impossibly larger, as if the flames they put out were being replaced. "We can't keep up. Every time we put some out, he just makes more." They ran back into the living room, where the flames had spread across the floor, blocking view of their friends. The smoke filled the room to the cieling. Tears sprang in their eyes and they could barely breathe.

Oliver threw one pot of water onto the fire in front of him. It vanished with an angry hiss, but before he could blink, a new flame erupted in its place out of nowhere.

"You son of a bitch!" He growled, his voice thick with the smoke.

"It's no use!" Chloe shrieked, coughing between breaths. "He knows what he's doing!" A shadow ran up to them through the smoke, until Chloe's blonde hair came into focus. Tears made tracks down her soot-covered face, and she was hunched over, gagging. "We have to get out of here, Ollie! The smoke alone will kill us."

They jumped when something crashed into the stairs, making the steps crumble like dominoes. They only saw a bright patch of red cloth, before more debris fell on him.

"Bart!" Victor yelled, coming out of the smoke somewhere ahead of them.

Oliver started forward, but stopped, grabbing A.C. and Chloe's arms. He pushed them towards the kitchen, where sunlight was streaming through the side door. "You two get out of here. Call Dr. Tidwell and tell him to bring oxygen. I'll help get Bart." They opened their mouths to argue, but Oliver shoved them again. "Get out, dammit!"

A.C. stayed where he was, but then Chloe took his hand. "C'mon, A.C.. I'm not letting you die because you're a stubborn jock-strap." She dragged him away out of the fire. Oliver turned away from them when he heard another crash and Victor yelling.

"Victor!" Oliver called, navigating blindly through the smoke.

"Over here! Bart is trapped! I think he's unconscious." The house groaned loudly as the flames rose higher. Oliver coughed violently, the smoke making his lungs burn. "Over here!" Victor called again.

Oliver tread slowly as sweat poured down his back and the heat pressed in on him. He bit back a yelp as planks of burning wood fell from the cieling, missing him by several inches.

"Oliver!" Victor cried. "Where are you?" As Oliver got closer, he heard heavy amounts of debris being tossed past him, and soon, he saw Victor kneeling over Bart in the smoke. Victor hacked, the force of his coughing making him double over. Oliver throat closed up, and he fought to breathe past it, tears streaming down his cheeks in the heat. "Oliver," he sighed, relieved. "Bart's out. I think the smoke got to him sooner than us."

"Yeah, and we don't have that much longer," Oliver replied, feeling his head go light. His vision grayed briefly before coming back, but fuzzy. "We've got to get out of here."

They bent down to pull Bart out of the debris, noting the different injuries they saw. From the looks of his arm, his shoulder was dislocated. Blood ran in patches and thin rivulets down his face so it was hard to tell where he was hurt. Blood was also caked in his hair, turning the dirty blonde hair dark.

Their coughing became more and more violent, their lungs on fire with the need for oxygen. They grunted as they pulled Bart up and supported him between them. The shorter man hung suspended between them, his arms around each of their shoulders.

The two men paused, trying to find an exit among the endless chaos of the flames.

Victor suddenly slumped, dragging Bart down with him. Oliver gasped, scrambling to support Bart's weight, the rush of it making him even more light-headed than before. "Victor?!"

Victor looked up at him, the strain of staying inside with him showing on his face. "I can't hold on much longer, Oliver."

"You don't need to!" Oliver bit out, pulling him up off the floor. "Get off your ass and get out! We'll be right behind you." He shoved Victor towards the front door, blocked by only a thin wall of flame. "Go! Now!"

Victor stumbled slowly towards the exit. Oliver's head pounded as he slowly followed. Bart's weight dragged on him, making his lungs burn hotter and his vision go blacker. He fought the urge to stop for air, reminding himself that there was no air here. The incredible heat made his stomach roll, the sweat on his body disappearing. He was going to die. He had to get Bart out before he did, but he could feel his heart slowing as what little oxygen he had in his body die out, and his body temperature spike in the heat. He faintly heard wood and glass crashing over the pounding in his ears, and a large band of light flooded into the entryway, peeking in and out of the fire.

"Hang on, Bart." He mumbled past a dry throat as he gathered what strength he had left. When he started to run, he was growling under his breath. As he leaped through the fire towering in front of the door, he cried out in pain as he felt the heat burning him. As he hit the stairs of the porch and rolled with Bart into the front yard, all he could do was grunt in pain and gag as fresh air flooded his body.

"Oliver!" Johnathan yelled as Chloe cried, "Bart!" Footsteps rushed up to him and what felt like a dozen hands worried over him as he coughed.

"The doctor is on his way." Chloe stated, brushing grass and debris out of his hair. "He's bringing enough tanks for everybody, but I think the three of you will need it more. Victor's unconscious now, too."

"How long until he gets here?" Oliver croaked, his voice thick.

"Not long. He said to try to get the boys woken up. They need to get as much oxygen in as they can before they get brain damage." She helped Oliver up to his knees. Oliver opened his mouth to speak again, but Chloe cut him off. "Before you ask, Lex is okay. He's just little choked up from the smoke, but he'll be fine. Martha is sitting with him in the garden to keep him calmed down. We thought it would be better is he didn't know what was going on with Bart and Victor." Oliver then looked around the yard, looking for Victor, then he found him.

Victor was lying in the yard, about a few feet away from them. Large chunks of wood and bits of glass was all around him. A.C. knelt beside him, clearing away the debris and checking Victor's head, where blood was pooling underneath.

"He needs to be checked for a concussion. I know he's a living RoboCop, but I doubt anyone but Clark could walk away after crashing through the door like that." Oliver gagged again, spitting soot out of his mouth, when a deep voice laughed.

Oliver's back stiffened, his insides cold despite the heat from the burning house. The others gasped and swore as they faced someone at the end of the driveway. He first checked the garden on the other side of the house, and breathed a sigh of relief when Lex wobbled out with Martha in tow. His skin was pale with sweat going down his face, but otherwise fine.

"Oliver!" The deep voice called. Oliver swore under his breath before turning to face the alien.

Clark's body was at the end of the driveway, smirking as he looked around at the wreckage. His body was tense, Oliver noticed, as if he was straining against something internal. Oliver also noticed with dread that across the street someone was sitting there, bound with what looked like a car's bumper. Beside the person were a half a dozen silver tanks with flammable stickers stuck on every inch of the top half. Ice ran through him when he recognized Dr. Tidwell's face underneath the purple bruising all over him.

The alien was grinning when Oliver turned back to him. "I see from the farmboy's memories that you are a business man by day, so I propose a trade." Lex slowly walked over to Oliver, kneeling behind him. One shaking hand rested on Oliver's shoulder while the other caressed his swollen belly. "Your healer for my surrogate." Lex fingers clenched, clawing into Oliver's shoulder painfully. He fought off a grimace, keeping his expression blank. "Two of your men need this physician. It was foolishly simple, really. Leaving such an important pawn so defenseless? It was almost idiotic. Your men need him if you want them to live. It is your choice, Mr. Queen, but I doubt they were ready to lay down their lives for one pregnant man. In my opinion, that is hardly a cause to die for."

"That's enough, Fine." Lex said evenly, as if the alien was right beside him. Fine stiffened, turning his attention to Lex. Oliver turned back to stare at Lex. It was hard to see past the vulnerability the pregnancy forced on him, but when Oliver forced past it, he realized with a start that somehow, Lex was back. He was still trembling violently and his eyes shone with fear, but his shoulders were straighter and his chin was higher than they were before.

"You can stop tormenting us. Give them Dr. Tidwell and I'll go with you."

"Lex, what the hell are you doing?!" Johnathan hissed, shocked.

"You keep your word on that, Lex Luthor?"

"Don't call me that!" He snapped.

"Lex," Oliver breathed, taking Lex's hand. "Don't do this." The others watched, eyes wide, as Lex kissed the knuckles on Oliver's hand before pulling away.

"I'm not a Luthor. I'm not going to let them die for me." He leaned into Oliver, wrapping one arm around him in a half-hug, and whispered. "I'm going to bring him back, Oliver." He then said something else. It was in a language that Oliver had never heard before. It was a rough language, cut short and brusque in his ear. "It's coming back to me, and it's going to bring him back." Lex pulled away, his eyes shining as he stood and walked away from them.

A.C. jumped to his feet, moving to stop Lex, but stopped when Johnathan grabbed his pants' leg, rooting him to the spot with a glare. Martha took Lex's place beside Oliver, silently weeping. Chloe watched, in shock, as Lex waddled up to the alien. Fine, without any visible thought, held out a hand for Lex. Lex hesitated, but then took it, leaning in to him.

* * *

"_You know the baby is coming. That's why you're acting so desperate._" Fine glared at Lex, noting with surprise that the human was hiding the pain well. His eyes were the only thing giving it away.

_"You still sound like a child talking for the first time, human. How long?"_ Lex noticed that Clark's body was as stiff as a board. Lex recognized internal pain when he saw it. Clark was putting up one hell of a fight.

_"When you started the fire. The baby obviously knew the father was near. Too bad a parasitic leech is keeping him away from his child's birth." _The alien's glare grew dark a brief second before Lex found himself on the ground, his cheek ablaze with pain. The alien watched Lex as he curled in on himself, fighting not to cry out. "_Give them their healer. You have what you want." _

The smirk looked completely foreign on Clark's face as he turned to the small crowd in front of the farmhouse, now a smoking carcass of wood and plaster. "I suggest you tend to your men, Oliver Queen. They don't have long left."

Lex's stomach leaped into his throat as the alien threw him over his shoulder, speeding away. Suddenly, he was thrown down onto a pile of fur and down comforters, looking up at the icy structures of the fortress.

* * *

When the two disappeared, Johnathan and A.C. wasted no time running over to Dr. Tidwell. Chloe followed, stopping by the tool shed to grab a crowbar. Oliver couldn't move. He stared at the spot where Lex was lying on the ground after Fine struck him. What has he done? What the hell did he just let Lex do?! A month and a half of protecting Lex from that monster. A month and a half of keeping his promise to Clark. A month and a half of watching over Lex, feeling like, for once in his life, he was needed, wanted.

"Oliver?" Martha asked, touching his shoulder. Oliver flinched, his heart hurting.

"I shouldn't have let him go."

"He needed to, Oliver." He looked up at Martha, bewildered. She was too calm. He heard the others leading Dr. Tidwell over to them, but he ignored them.

"What's going on, Martha? Why did he leave?" Martha shifted her weight, glancing away for a second before looking back. Her eyes were bright and warm, but held a cloud of worry.

"He's in labor, Oliver. The baby is coming." Dr. Tidwell knelt beside them, pressing a face mask into Oliver's hand. Oliver took it, pressing it hard over his mouth, hoping fresh oxygen would fight off the surge of panic gripping his throat.


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe watched Oliver like a hawk as Dr. Tidwell worked. Oliver stared at the ground, pressing the oxygen mask to his face, as the doctor revived both Victor and Bart.

Apparently, Bart's superspeed worked against him. In order to run fast, he had to breathe fast, the smoke getting to him quicker. Victor's machine half was unaffected, but his organic half, in comparison, was weak. What knocked him out was crashing through the door. He was covered in splinters of wood and glass, and Bart had a concussion from crashing into the stairs.

Oliver didn't look up. He didn't speak. He just stared at the ground, his face closed off. Chloe sat down beside him, leaning on his shoulder. "What's the plan, boss?"

"There's no plan." He mumbled through the mask. "It's over. Lex is in labor and Fine has him. We're too late."

She pushed down her own sense of worry, forcing herself to smile at him. "It's never too late, Ollie. The baby isn't born yet." She hoped. "There's still time." If he heard her, he made no move to show it. His fists were clenched tightly. His knuckles were solid white and his arm as tense as steel.

"She's right, son." Johnathan spoke up, standing over them. "Babies don't pop out of nowhere. It takes time. Time that we have. I don't care what planet they're from. When a baby is being born, you have to stay in that same spot until it's done. Wherever they are, they will be there a while."

Martha had Victor's arm over one shoulder, leading him over to them. Victor tried to support as much of his weight as he could, but with one leg bandaged and suspended in the air, he couldn't hold much.

"Any idea where they could be?" He winced as he leaned on his bad leg, pulling away from Martha. "You're going to need all of us, Oliver."

Oliver looked up, then, pulling away his face mask. His face as he looked at each of them was tight with emotion. He tried to hide it, but they could still see the helplessness they felt in his eyes. "It's a suicide mission. We can't beat him."

"You're going, though?" Chloe asked, tone accusatory.

"Of course I am. I promised Clark I would protect Lex." They jumped when Bart suddenly appeared beside them. He wobbled unsteadily, groaning, before he shook it off.

"We did, too, man. Let's check out that ice castle Boy Scout told us about. I bet Fine knows just as much about that baby as we do and he's going to need help."

"I don't think Jor-El would willingly help that monster." Martha said softly. "If it was me, I would never help someone who is torturing my son."

"What if he doesn't know?" Chloe asked, piquing everyone's attention. She stood, dusting off her jeans, before turning to Oliver. "Jor-El is not all-knowing. Clark and I have realized that a long time ago. You can pull the wool over his eyes like anybody else. I bet if someone told him he was being played like a chess pawn, he would help us instead."

"How do we get up there, though?" A.C. asked, appearing at the back of the group.

"I will need to come with you. Lex's body has no means for childbirth. He will have to have a cesarean section." Dr. Tidwell said from beside him, pausing to check a cut on A.C.'s shoulder for glass. Oliver watched the group, feeling a sense of pride that he brought all of these amazing people together, but then a wave of unease squashed it, as he thought of Lex and what he must be going through.

"Oliver," Chloe said gently, kneeling in front of him. "I heard what happened last night. I know that what you feel for Lex runs deeper than a promise to Clark, and that you feel like you failed them both, but if you want to get both of them back, you have to trust us to know what we're doing." She then pulled something out of her jacket. It was the knife she had shown him that first night. It was still just a lousy kitchen knife, dipped in Kryptonite, sheathed in a piece of beaten lead. "I saved this from the fire. The guns are long gone, but this should be enough to distract him."

"What makes you think I was going to fight him?" He gave her a small smile, taking the plastic handle.

"You didn't just make a promise to Clark." She took off her kryptonite necklace, looping it around Oliver's wrist. She clipped her bracelet on his other wrist, like some sort of armor. "You made a promise to Lex, too."

"We're with you, Oliver." Victor assured, crossing his arms, wobbling on his bad foot. The others mumbled in agreement, each affirmation making Oliver's grip tighter and tighter on the hilt of the knife.

Bart chuckled, pulling himself up to his feet, then held out a hand to Oliver. "Where to, man?"

Oliver smiled, feeling that drive in him come back as he took Bart's hand, jumping up to his feet. "Gather everything you think you need. In ten minutes, we leave for the Arctic. We're getting them back." Chloe kissed his cheek, and left with the others. They all scattered, some leaving the farm, the rest going into the charred wreckage.

Oliver paused, looking back over his shoulder at the spot where Lex had stood. Lex's eyes, wide with fear, and the Lex that was in the caves, broken and waiting to die, flashed in his mind. He had to take a deep breath to quell the surge of hysteria clawing in his chest.

He sighed, turning back towards the farmhouse. He could see the others, tip-toeing around burnt furniture and walls, as little fires continued to burn here and there. His heart clenched seeing the remains of Clark's childhood home. Standing there, watching walls crumble and entire rooms collapse, he vowed to himself to fix this mess, in any way he could.

* * *

They watched as the human on the ground level squirmed and flinched, groaning with each contraction.

_**How is he going to have the baby?!**_ Fine snarled as the farmboy switched their sight to x-ray, examining Lex's body, where no birth canal grew for the child. _**You've got to stop this. They'll die if this keeps up. Stop this! **_He winced as pain split open his skull. _**Please! Stop this, now!**_ Screams of pain and fear echoed in their mind.

"Shut up!" He scowled. The farmboy flinched, but kept fighting as he pulled on his chains. He cried out in agony as he pulled the chains taut, his muscles straining against them.

_**You're killing him! **_

They startled as Lex cried out in pain. The contractions were getting stronger.

_**Please. **_Kal-El's voice was soft and pleading. _**Do something to help him with the pain. Please stop torturing him.**_

"Why?" He asked to the air, watching the human curl in on himself. "His healing ability is remarkable. The damage repairs itself almost as soon as it appears." The farmboy didn't answer. He stayed silent, even as Fine leaped down from the upper level, landing silently in front of the human.

* * *

He was being torn apart from the inside. He could feel it. Every wave of pain struck him hard and fast, disappearing almost as quickly as it came.

Lex wanted to die. Each contraction hit him like new, the pain never dulling. Another one came, pulling a growl out of his throat and tears out of his eyes. He wanted to die. He wanted the baby out, but after that, he couldn't bring himself to care if he lived or died.

"Jor-El!" Clark's voice snapped somewhere over him. "Why did the mutation stop? His body isn't prepared."

The ice lit up around them, but Lex could barely focus as another contraction came, forcing his body in on itself.

"I have warned you, Kal-El. Humans, especially ones afflicted by our planet's radiation, are unpredictable. His healing abilities may have ended the mutation's process before it could be completed." Lex couldn't understand what that meant, but the look on Clark's face said enough. Deep in his eyes was horror, but on his face was rage.

"I'm going to die." Lex said, with no fear. Clark's body spasmed wildly, doubling over on itself. Fine grunted in pain, before cursing. Lex's heart shot up in his throat as for a brief second. He saw Clark in those brilliant green eyes. "Clark..." he breathed.

His eyes focused on Lex, warmth spreading through them, but then it vanished. Lex then groaned when the next contraction caused something to snap inside of him. Fine cursed loudly again, Clark's knees buckling under the violent tremors racking his body.

"Lex!" Clark's voice, strained and painful, came through.

"Clark!" Lex cried out when another one unexpectedly hit. They were getting quicker, and he could feel the baby inside of him fight harder, suffocating.

Clark's eyes flooded with pain and guilt. His body was limp and curled in on itself, wracking with tremors. "S'sorry, Lex!" Clark screamed along with Lex, long and loud, before it abruptly cut off with a Kryptonian curse.

"Enough!" Fine bellowed. He strode across the icy floor, launching himself at Lex. His fingers, cold and as hard as steel, closed around Lex's throat.

Lex thrashed and fought for air, the strong grip crushing his windpipe. His hands flew up, uselessly clawing at his hands.

"Clark, please," he rasped. Fine's glare turned murderous as spasms shook his body again. "Clark," Lex tried again. A pained groan escaped the alien's lips before it was cut off with a angry growl.

The grip on his throat tightened and Lex's head was beginning to spin as blood rushed through his ears. He could barely react to the agony running through his abdomen. "Your farmboy is under my control, you insect!" he snarled, bringing their face closer together. Lex could feel Clark's breath ghosting over his cheeks, and he had to close his eyes against the onslaught of memories it brought forward.

And then, without thinking, he grabbed the back of his head, smashing their lips together. Over the rush of his blood, he could hear his mind screaming at him. What the hell was he doing? A strangled moan came from Clark's throat and his body trembled under Lex's grip. For a second, a brief second, Clark kissed back. He felt Clark's hand caress his swollen belly, pausing when the baby kicked his hand. Another strangled groan left his throat, but Lex couldn't focus. Because while Clark kissed him back, the grip on his throat gripped impossibly tighter. Lex had a brief worry that he would snap his neck before everything went black.

* * *

Clark pulled back as he noticed Lex go limp in his hands. No, not his hands. He didn't tell his hands to squeeze harder.

"I said," Fine growled through Clark's throat, "_enough!_"

_**Please, **_Clark pleaded, pulling his conscience back as far as it could go. _**Please, stop. He's dying. **_Fine just sneered, not easing his grip. Clark scrambled in his mind to think of something, anything, to get him off of Lex._** You'll never get the child if you kill him.**_

Almost with an audible snap, Fine released Lex, who fell in a limp heap with bruises circling his neck.

"This is all your doing. If you had just stayed on your path. If you just accepted your destiny as the _last son of Krypton!_" The words echoed around them menacingly. When Fine spoke again, his voice was even. "Then our planet would have rose out of the ashes, like a glorious pheonix, shining bright and new. You brought this upon yourself."

Clark slumped in his thoughts. So much pain. So much guilt gripped his heart. He imagined himself not being able to breathe. Not being able to function from day to day without collapsing into a quivering mess of grief. His planet, his people, has caused so much misery. Why would anyone decent want to bring it back?

Snow and ice started to swirl as a supernatural wind swept around them. The hairs on the back of their neck stood on end as energy cracked and surged around them. Whatever was happening was taking a lot of power. The inner light of the fortress grew brighter and brighter. Fine shielded their eyes from the powerful glow, just as confused as Clark.

Then the light exploded around them, ripping away color and sound from the fortress, but in the center of the blast was the shadow of several humans. Clark felt hope for the first time in weeks as the first splash of color was a bright green suit and a mess of gold hair.

Oliver armed his bow, training the arrow on Fine. "Sorry to drop in on you, but if you like, I brought cigars."

The men stiffened behind him, facing off against Fine, as the women led Dr. Tidwell over to Lex.

"You humans don't have the spine to watch your friend die." Oliver let the arrow fly. It struck them in the thigh, the pain registering with both Clark and Fine. Fine snarled in rage.

"I'm a man of my word. I will kill Clark if that means keeping you away from Lex." He heard a whimper as Lex woke up. In a moment of bad judgement, he looked to see if Lex was okay. Startled shouting of his name made him turn in time to catch Clark's surprisingly heavy body as it crashed into him.

* * *

"This isn't right," Dr. Tidwell said for the hundredth time. "This poor boy needs a hospital." He measured out a more-than-advised dose of morphine, his hands shaking, as the chaos started at the other end of the room. Victor rushed over to them to protect them as the men fought off Fine, keeping him at bay. "I'm so sorry about this." He pressed the needle into Lex's arm.

Lex groaned, as Martha wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He stared up at her, trying to lose himself in her warm eyes, but cried out when another wave of pain washed over him. The pain didn't ebb this time. It continued, non-stop, over and over again in Lex's body, pulling raw screams of agony out of him. Martha held his hand tight, kissing his knuckles, rubbing soothing patterns down his arm. She tried to hide the tears in her eyes, but he saw them.

"Martha," he whined, gripping her hand with a tight clasp.

"It'll be over before you know it." She smiled reassuringly, patting his hand. "Trust me, sweetie."

Lex smiled back, trying to stave off the pain as the rush of drugs washed over him. The pain slowly but surely faded to a dull throb, but it didn't stop Lex's heart rate from spiking when he saw the scalpel in Dr. Tidwell's hand. He jerked, both women pushing him back down by his shoulders. He tried to fight, but his weak body, along with some very powerful drugs, were pulling him down.

"Lex," the doctor said soothingly as he patted his shoulder, "during this I want you to focus on the baby, okay? Is it a boy or a girl? What's the baby's name? I want you to think about that while I work, okay?"

Lex hoped he nodded, but the fuzz in his head made it hard to tell.

"Just keep your eyes on me or Martha, Lex." Chloe cooed, taking his other hand. She turned to Dr. Tidwell, eyebrows drawn together. "Isn't blood loss a big risk with these things?"

"It's a slight risk," the doctor replied, paling. "I hope this A.I. of yours heals like you claim. If not, I'm dragging him to the hospital, paycheck or no paycheck." Chloe shifted uneasily, gripping Lex's hand harder.

"Don't worry, Lex." She held his head to face her, keeping her eyes locked on his. "I want you to look at me, okay? Tell me about the baby. I know you've thought about it."

"Didn't have much time to..." he said without thinking. Chloe smiled, but it was tight-lipped. He vaguely felt Martha grip his arm and his leg tightly, so tightly it felt like it would bruise in the morning. His fuzzy brain was trying to remember why he should have been nervous, but then a sharp pain blossomed in his midsection, even through the drugged haze, ripping a cry out of Lex's throat.

"Lex!" Chloe snapped, holding Lex's head in place. "The baby, Lex! What about the baby?" She flinched as a wet snap caused Lex to scream in her face. "Do you want," she yelled over him, "do you want a boy or girl?"

"I-I don't-" he groaned as he felt something prodding at his insides. "I don't know!" he said in a rush.

"Then think about it!" She barked, clenching his hand in hers. He forced himself to focus, even though the drugs were doing nothing for this pain pulsing through him.

"I-i-I can't, Chloe!" His eyes were heavy and his head was pounding. He felt the doctor in front of him hack at his insides, but he couldn't bring himself to react. He felt incredibly nauseous and his vision was darkening. He couldn't stop it. As tightly as he held Chloe's hand, as hard as he stared into her warm brown eyes, he couldn't stop it as he was drifting down into darkness.

"Lex!" the word echoed in his head. "Lex!"

* * *

_**Lex!**_ The farmboy kept screaming the name, trying his hardest to surface again, but Fine shook it off, staring down at the blonde human beneath him.

The burly human in flannel leaped onto the alien's back, trying to wrestle him off, but he was just thrown to the side, crashing into a pillar of ice.

"Johnathan!" A woman yelled.

"No, Martha!" Another yelled.

The blonde human threw a punch into Fine/Clark's face. The alien barely felt it, but the human drew back his hand, hissing in pain. They rolled across the floor, yelling and struggling, neither able to get in a good hit. The blonde favored his other hand, the other broken.

A pair of strong hands pushed the blonde off of him. A lean human, taller than the rest, stood over the alien, cracking his knuckles. He let Fine stand to his feet, crouching into a defensive stance.

"I can kick your ass in water." He said confidently. "Let's see how different land is." Fine stood shakily, the Kryptonite in his leg throbbing in his bloodstream. Somewhere in the struggle, the arrow had broken, leaving the stone embedded in his thigh. He could only defend himself as the human attacked efficently, following some flowing pattern of attacks. Fine used his body's natural strength to compensate for skill as soon, the human faltered, exposing his side. Fine struck, the crack of bone audible to his advanced hearing. The human snarled in pain, quickly ducking Fine's swing to bring his elbow down on his wound, driving the rock deeper.

Fine howled in pain, swatting the human aside, taking delight in a loud crack when the human's head struck ice. Blood started to pulse from his wound, the Kryptonite embedded in a major blood vessel. He fought to stay upright, despite the nausea and burning in his body. A rush of air spun around him, along with a red blur, before he was knocked onto his back. A small human, grinning a crooked smile stared down at him, smug.

"I wouldn't move if I was you." The alien ignored him, sitting up, when someone behind him pressed a blade to his neck. The constricting of his throat and the tingling of his skin confirmed that the blade was Kryptonite.

"You should've listened." The blonde said behind him. Fine's face twisted into a grimace. Blood pooled under his leg. He could feel the body's strength going by the second, and he knew that the body wouldn't hold on for long.

Someone screamed, loud and long. It startled all of them, all of the humans looking over behind them. Fine rolled out away from the humans, taking the knife with him. The only weapon he had at this point.

They turned back to him, eyes wide, as he held the blade out defensively. They slowly stood, cornered, ignoring the second wave of screaming.

The farmboy inside of him surged up, fighting against his bonds, screaming Lex's name. He wavered under the force, weakened from the Kryptonite.

"Look," the blonde placated, his hands held out, "we're not letting you take the baby. At this point, whether you like it or not, Clark's body is bleeding out. He is dying, and if you stay in there any longer, he is going to take you with him." Fine's grip on the blade tightened, the close exposure to Kryptonite making him weaker. His hands shook as he held the blade.

The smaller human rushed forward to grab it, and the blonde yelled out his name. Fine grabbed the boy, placing the knife against his throat, but his body froze, instead leaving a deep gash across his chest as he tossed him aside. The blonde paled considerably, but he didn't back down as Fine started to walk forward, the blade in his hands dripping blood.

"Clark!" The blonde snapped. The boy inside his mind answered, making his own body hesitate. Fine fought back for control, seething. The blonde stood his ground as Fine grabbed him by the back of the neck, holding the knife to his throat. "Clark!" he gasped, the blade pressing down on his adam's apple. "Clark!" A trickle of blood dripped down the blonde's tanned skin as it gave under the blade. "Clark!"

A cry. A small, unintelligable shriek echoed off of the crystallized walls of the fortress. Both the human and the alien froze as the crying hushed into high-pitched whining.

Without his knowledge, the farmboy enhanced their hearing. Fine fought hard to keep the blade pressed to the human's throat, even as he heard the women sigh and sob.

_"It's a girl," the thin doctor said._

_"A girl? Oh, my God." The older woman breathed. There was a rustle of fabric and more whimpering from the child as the woman shushed her. "It's okay."_

* * *

Oliver fought not to flinch as the blade bit deeper into his skin. Fine's shaking hand doing nothing to help the pain.

"Clark," he tried again, the words scratching his throat raw. "Please."

"Shut up!" the alien snapped. The words were desperate.

"Clark," Oliver's breath hitched as the blade pressed harder, blood now trickling in a steady stream. "Please. It's your child. It's your baby. If anyone can come back, it's you. Lex needs you, come _ba-_" Clark's face twisted into a snarl. Those powerful, blood-spattered hands gripped Oliver tighter. He felt Clark's hand grip the hilt of the knife tighter, the shaking easing into a single-minded control. He closed his eyes, setting his jaw so that he wouldn't scream, because he was sure that Fine was pulling back to-

"Oliver," his name was strained.

Oliver's eyes snapped open, and he saw, with amazement, that Clark was staring back at him. The brief flash in those green eyes held more pain and fear than he could bear. "Clark," he said, more clearly. Clark had pulled the blade away from Oliver's throat, but his grip didn't loosen on the handle. "Give me the knife, Clark."

"No." The voice was still strained, and his hands trembled. His entire body was as taut as a harp string, his strength looking ready to snap at any minute. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I should have done this a long time ago. I can't keep putting everyone through this."

Echoes of the commotion beside them reached their ears, but their gazes were locked on each other, afraid to break the fragile connection they had. "Clark, please. We can figure this out."

"This is the only way," the trembling eased in his hands and an eerie calm settled in his body as he tightened the grip on the knife. "I have to do this while I still have control."

Oliver startled when something wet hit his cheek. He brushed it away, without thinking much of it, coughing past his raw throat. "Please, Clark, don't do this. Lex needs you."

Lex's name filled Clark's eyes with a hot emotion. So hot it made Oliver's chest burn. Tears gathered in Clark's eyes as he visibly fought within himself to maintain control. "Lex has you, Oliver. That's all he needs."

"Then what about me?" he suddenly said, desperate. "I need you, Clark. I need both of you. I don't want to lose either of you." Clark glanced to the side, flinching, before he turned back.

"If I don't do this, you'll lose both of us."Oliver stood, but every step he took forward, Clark stumbled back, holding up the blade.

"Clark, no-" Clark's arm raised, the blade dripping blood, but underneath, the rock pulsed green, the glow of it reflecting off of Clark's sickly pale skin.

"I'm sorry." Oliver rushed forward just as Clark forcefully curled in on himself.

"Clark, _please!_" Clark screamed, and Oliver froze.

* * *

Chloe petted Lex's head, his arm, his hand, anything at all as she avoided looking down towards his belly.

"Lex, come back." She said for the hundredth time. Martha repeatedly wiped the sweat from Lex's forehead, not knowing what else to do as the doctor surgically removed the baby.

They both jumped as they heard shouts and cries. Martha watched Victor watch, helpless, as his friends were tossed around like ragdolls by Clark's body.

Clark then threw Johnathan into a pillar, "Johnathan!" Martha rushed up to help him, when both Victor and Chloe grabbed her, forcing her back beside Lex.

"No, Martha!" Chloe yelled, panicked. Martha forced herself to stay there, where she was needed, even though she didn't see her husband stand back up.

"He's killing them!" She hissed to Chloe. Chloe looked up at the fight when she heard A.C. yell. He was also thrown to the side, his head making a nasty crack when he landed.

"Victor?" She said, frightened.

"I can't," he groaned, watching Bart knock Clark over into Oliver's reach. "I promised them I'd stay here."

Lex groaned in his sleep, the groans gradually climbing to cries as they all gathered around him.

"Damn, the drugs are wearing off!" Tidwell exclaimed.

"Can't you give him more?!" Victor snapped, kneeling beside them. Tidwell glared, even though he refused to take his eyes off his operation.

"I don't know his mutation. I have no idea how his body will react. I already gave him more than I should have." Another wet, squelching sound made Chloe flinch. Martha tightened her death grip on Lex's hand and thigh.

"How's the baby?"

Tidwell shook his head. "I don't know. The kid's not moving. It's hard to get a hold on it."

Oliver shouted Bart's name and Bart cried out. Chloe looked up in time to see Fine toss Bart to the ground, an arc of blood following him.

"Oh, God!" She noticed the blade in his hands, glowing green under the thick red of blood. "Ollie!" She shrieked as Fine grabbed Oliver, pressing the knife to his throat. This time it was her they had to pin.

"Don't," Martha said. Lex cried out under them, his eyes still screwed shut.

"Hold on..."Tidwell mumbled. "I think...I think...I got 'em!" More snipping and squelching and there was a small bundle in the doctor's arms, almost unrecognizable under the blood.

Martha and Chloe looked at each other, eyes wide with tears and laughing with relief as they watched the baby blink its eyes. Dr. Tidwell cleaned off the baby's face, patting it until it inhaled, exhaling with a shrill cry.

"It's a girl," he said proudly.

"A girl?" Martha asked, breathless. "Oh, my God." She held out her arms as the doctor finished cleaning off the blood, wrapping her in a thick swaddle of blankets, before handing her to the woman. The baby blinked gray eyes up at Martha, before whimpering. Martha let her tears fall, shushing her. "Shhh, it's okay." She held the child close to her, kissing her forehead. "It's okay."

"Oh, no." The doctor breathed. They looked up in alarm, as the doctor frantically tried to stitch Lex back together.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, dread sinking in her gut.

"He's bleeding out. I can't stop it. The trauma to his body is becoming more than he can handle."

* * *

"Oh, God, Lex!" Chloe cried. Martha stood, cradling the child, moving out of the way when Victor took her place beside Lex. She watched them worry over Lex's body, trying to stop the bleeding, to wake him up, to bring him back. The baby wriggled in her arms, her face twisting into a grimace as she started to cry again.

Martha shushed her again, rushing away from the panic to get her somewhere calm. Martha bit back the sob in her throat as she looked from Lex, lying motionless under their hands, to Clark's body, facing Oliver, holding out a green blade.

Her heart sank to her feet when she saw her son, not Fine, her _son_, talk to Oliver, pain etched into every line of his body. The way he held the knife, the look in his eyes, and the way Oliver desperately tried to stop him told her exactly what was about to happen.

She pressed a hand to her mouth, stifling a shriek, as Clark stabbed himself in his middle, doubling over with pain. Blood soaked his clothes through as he collapsed, Oliver dropping beside him. Tears flowed down her cheeks, because now, she was losing both of her babies. Clark, that puppy-eyed orphan that found them in the meteor shower, and Lex, who needed a loving family so bad he gave up his name, his fortune, to get it.

She looked down at the beautiful baby girl in her arms, wrapping her tighter when she noticed her shiver. She couldn't tell if it was just the cold, or if she was born with that porcelain skin. There was no doubting where the little tuft of black, curly hair came from.

Anger, fury pulsed through her body as she watched the baby drift in her arms. Her little boy did not deserve this. The love of his life certainly didn't deserve this, after everything he had done.

"Show yourself, Jor-El." She said evenly, not wanting to scare the baby, but the anger in her voice gave it a sharp edge. Light and warmth pulsed around her where she stood.

"Martha Kent." The A.I. acknowledged her.

"Why are you letting this happen? After everything you put him through, why are you doing this?"

"I do not understand to what you are referring. Everything you see here is result of my son's choices." She looked around them, her mind saying that there must be something she could focus on, but the voice echoed all around her.

"That is not your son?!" She refused to look behind her. She refused to see Lex and Clark until she knew there was no hope.

"Martha Kent, I know my son. I know Kal-El."

"No, you don't." Snow swirled around them under the power of Jor-El's voice. The baby flinched in her grasp, as she cuddled the child close to her chest, shielding her. "Your son, my son, _our son_, is being controlled by one of you. Whatever Milton Fine is, he is controlling Clark, using him to get to her," she held the baby out from her body, bringing her into view. "He tricked Clark, and you, into impregnating Lex. You and I both know Clark would rather kill himself than to hurt those he loves." She sobbed, the image of her son's blood burned into her brain. "For God's sake, _look at him!_ He's dying! They both are! You have to save them! For me!" She took a deep breath, calming herself, holding the baby close to her, taking in her comfort. "For you, and for their daughter!"

* * *

"Clark!" Oliver cried, kneeling behind Clark, pulling Clark's body into his lap. Clark's head lolled from side to side, his eyes dazed and his face sweaty and pale. Oliver snatched up the blade from Clark's hand, throwing it as far away from them as he could, but felt absolutely wretched when he saw the faint green pulse inside Clark's leg. With the meteor embedded in his leg, he'll never heal. Oliver killed him.

"Oliver," he sighed.

Blood was everywhere. It soaked into the front of Clark's clothes, and the ice below them. Oliver's hands hovered over Clark's body, shaking. His mind was broken. He couldn't think of anything to say, anything to do. He just stayed there, frozen, as he watched Clark bleed out.

"Clark," he sobbed, then like a dam bursting, tears broke out of his eyes. He couldn't stop them, even when he saw the pained expression in Clark's eyes, seeing his tears.

"M'sorry," he croaked, coughing.

Oliver finally used his hands, gripping the sides of Clark's face, looking into his eyes. "Don't, Clark. You're going to be fine." Oliver choked on a sob building in his throat. Clark couldn't see the blood. Couldn't see how hopeless his wound looked. "You're going to be okay."

"Oliver," Clark said more firmly. His eyes were still out of focus, but as they looked at Oliver, they were warm. "Thank you." He coughed again, raggedly. Blood seeped under Oliver, soaking through his gear. He couldn't move. He was paralyzed by Clark's eyes. "You're the best friend I could ever have."

Oliver shuddered, and Clark's hand grazed Oliver's cheek, leaving red smears of blood behind. "Clark, I can't lose you."

Clark's face fell, pain filling his eyes with unshed tears. "I don't want to lose you, either. I don't want to leave Lex." Clark sobbed, then coughed, sobbing again as he flinched. "I want to see them, Oliver."

"I don't-"

"Oliver," he hissed, "I need to see them. Both of them."

* * *

Everyone walked away from Lex, having done everything they could at this point, as Oliver approached, Clark supported over his shoulders.

Chloe sobbed, covering her mouth with her hand, before she ran off, Dr. Tidwell following her as they left to care for the others.

"Where's the baby?" Oliver grunted under Clark's weight. Clark hung on the best he could, feeling impossibly weak. He fought to stay awake as he heard a small shrill, before he heard his mother shush it.

"Right here." His mom said impossibly close. He then realized, with a start, that Oliver had laid him down beside Lex and his mother was standing over him.

"Here's your daughter, Clark." His mother said warmly, her smile there even though her body shook with sobs. "She's beautiful."

She kneeled beside him, ignoring the blood seeping into her jeans, as she handed him his daughter.

Clark held her like a glass bubble, as carefully as he could. His eyes, when he looked at his baby girl, filled with happiness.

"Clark?" A voice he had wanted to hear for months croaked. He looked to his side to see Lex looking up at him, almost as weak and sickly as he was.

"Lex," Clark sobbed. Lex tried to sit up, but he couldn't muster the strength. His head pounded and the rush of blood deafened his ears as he noticed the bundle of blankets in Clark's arms.

"Is that...?" Clark nodded, handing the child to Lex. Lex took her, not noticing Clark's body sag with relief.

"Have you named her?" He took in the baby girl's ivory skin, set off by the little curl of black hair and gray eyes. Then he felt the man beside him collapse in a heap.

"Oh, Clark!" Martha sobbed, covering her mouth. Oliver knelt closer between the two of them. Clark's eyes moved over them, sluggishly and his breathing became even more labored.

Lex's heart cracked right down the middle when he saw his love drenched in blood, sweating, and his eyes foggy. "Clark, what did you do?" he moaned.

Clark gave Lex a small smile, unable to move his limbs. "Something you would have done, Lex."

Lex sobbed, then fell into a hacking cough when he couldn't catch his breath. "Martha!" he gasped. "Take her!" Martha took the child in her arms, keeping her in view of her fathers.

"Lex," Clark then said, looking closer at Lex. "You're...?"

Lex smiled sadly, taking Clark's hand. "I'm afraid so, Clark. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough for her." Clark grunted, rolling over to his side to pull Lex to him, groaning in pain.

"Don't, Lex." They pressed their foreheads together, giving in to the hot grief constricting their chests.

Lex pulled back, "Oliver?" Oliver rushed forward, taking Lex's outstretched hand. "Promise us you'll watch over her. She needs you like I needed you."

Oliver whimpered in his throat, pressing a kiss to Lex's knuckles. "I promise. I promise." He said looking at Lex, then Clark. "What's her name?"

"Olivia," Clark gasped, cringing in on himself. "Her first name is Olivia." Oliver grabbed Lex and Clark's entwined hands, tightly.

Someone sobbed behind them, but they just held each other, in their own world for just a moment.

"Her middle name is Marlira, for our mothers. Martha, Lillian, and Lara." Lex said, panting for air. Clark gasped for air, a small smile on his face. "What is her Kryptonian name, Clark?" Lex added, in a breathless, quiet voice, almost too quiet to hear. "She needs one."

"Le-El," Clark sighed. "After her father." His eyes closed against his will, but his chest rose slowly.

"Beautiful," was Lex's last breath. Martha then had to press her fist between her teeth, clutching the child tightly to her, as Lex closed his eyes, his limp hands falling out of Oliver's.

"Oh, God," Oliver gasped. They watched Clark, still clinging to Lex's hand, eyes closed, all of his energy focused into breathing. "Clark?"

"I know he's gone." He said, but a smile spread wider across his face. "We both love you, Oliver. Tell everyone else we love them. Especially you, Mom."

"Oh, Clark," Martha whimpered. Clark laid his head back, finally opening his eyes, staring straight above, smiling.

"When she's old enough, tell Olivia we love her." His breaths slowed until they were seconds apart. He suddenly giggled hysterically, his eyes unfocused. "I hear Lara. She's singing a lullaby." He then stilled, his breath rushing out in a whoosh.

* * *

Oliver's blood froze in his body, chilling him to the core. "Clark?" he called. Clark's eyes dimmed, the shimmering green turning flat and lifeless. "Clark?" Martha sobbed, walking away from them. Oliver shook his head, unwilling to accept this. "_CLARK?!" _

"He's gone, Oliver." Martha said from behind him. "They're both gone."

"No." He said, and he couldn't stop saying it. He repeated the word over and over, with every breath. Tears poured down his face and his chest ached with sobs as he kneeled over them, their hands still together, even though Clark and Lex's hands grew cold.

Snow started to whirl around them like the beginnings of a blizzard and the light pulsing through the fortress died, throwing them into darkness.

"Oliver," Chloe said quietly. He felt her hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't feel its warmth. "We have to go. We have to get the rest to the hospital."

"What about them? We can't leave them behind." His breath came out in shaking pants as he stared at them. He finally reached over, and gently, closed Clark's eyes, his fingers brushing across Clark's lips. "I can't leave them."

The air grew colder, swirling around them violently. They had to duck their heads to shield themselves from the stinging ice as it pelted their faces. Over the roar of the wind, Oliver could hear the shrill cry of Olivia, scared and cold.

"Oliver!" Martha yelled, clutching the baby. "We have to get out of here!"

"No!" Oliver yelled, throwing his body over Lex and Clark's. "Go without me!"

Suddenly, strong arms grabbed him, yanking him up to his feet. He was surprised when Johanthan Kent's bruised face came into view. "Son, you promised them you would look after their daughter!" He pushed Oliver towards Martha, who was shielding the baby from the violent weather. "Keep that promise!" Johnathan stumbled a bit as he grabbed Oliver again, pulling him along with him as they joined Martha and Chloe in the center of the room.

Oliver couldn't help but look as they passed the large pool of blood where Clark was, his heart freezing to ice. He couldn't do this. He couldn't. It's way too much.

"My son wouldn't ask you to protect her if he didn't think you could handle it, Oliver!" He must have been more distraught than he thought. He didn't think he said that out loud.

Victor had Bart's arm thrown over his shoulder, blood dripping down Bart's shirt, where a large gash was cut across his collarbone. A.C. was awake, but had to lean heavily on Dr. Tidwell for support, blood-soaked gauze wrapped around his forehead.

"Come on, boss." Tidwell yelled. "These two don't have long and we need to save who we can!"

Oliver had to swallow the urge to throttle the doctor. He certainly didn't save the two most important people in his life. Martha stopped Oliver, arranging his arms in a dip, before placing Olivia gently in his arms.

Like a switch being flipped, he felt his heart beat again. Looking into those beautiful eyes with the black curls falling on her head, he had to get her out of there. He may have lost Lex and Clark, but he couldn't lose this little girl, who was both of them combined.

"Let's go!" He rushed to the group, holding Olivia close to his chest as a blinding light surrounded them, dumping them in the Kuwatche caves.

* * *

Oliver held the crying infant close to his chest, hovering over her as she was monitored by Dr. Tidwell in his improvised nursery. The others were tended to and healing in Tidwell's clinic.

Tidwell only asked to be paid triple after all he had seen, unable to abandon the billionaire. Who the hell else would put up with the weird shit?!

Martha stayed with her husband as they held each other, mourning the loss of their boys. It was only when they were completely alone that Johnathan shed a tear, saying in a thick voice, "No father should have to bury their child."

Chloe skipped from room to room, feeling completely out of place. Clark wasn't there to keep her in one spot. Where was she supposed to be? How could she possibly help when no one needed her? She knew one thing, though. She wanted her superman back.

Oliver cradled Olivia to him all night as she slept. He fed her. He changed her. God, he already loved the little girl. He knew from the start he would take her in. He never thought though that the love he felt for Lex and Clark so easily attached itself to this little girl in his arms. God, he hoped she had Clark's powers, and Lex's brains. The world just lost two of the greatest beings that ever lived. And Oliver prayed to God that if Olivia was just like her fathers, that he had someone there with him to keep him from screwing up this miracle child.

* * *

_Someone was humming. It was a rising and falling sound, absolutely peaceful and beautiful. Clark had heard it once. He remembered crying as Lara lowered him into the ship. She was singing to him, trying to calm him. She stopped when Jor-El approached, but before the ship left, she hummed the melody, touching his cheek. _

_Light. Bright, blinding, hot light surrounded him. It burned through him until he shone from the inside out with the glow. There was a shadow hovering over his heart blocking the light. _

_With a pulling force, it was yanked out of Clark's chest, making him scream. He barely noticed the black shadow forming into Fine before the shadow was pressed into a flat disk, flipping around and around, showing Fine's reflection as if it was in a broken mirror, before it vanished with an explosion of light. _

Clark gasped as he shot up, his lungs burning. He hacked and coughed, spitting out blood, before he felt cool hands on the back of his neck.

"Clark?" A small voice asked. Clark froze. Last thing he remembered was dying, that amazing voice fading as he took his last breath. Now, he could feel the cold, crisp air in his lungs, and the fortress rose around them, pulsing with the light the scorched him in his dreams.

"I apologize, Kal-El. Brainiac was weaved so far into your mind. I had to wait until he withdrew before extracting him." Jor-El's voice fell over them like a wave of ice water. "You are both healed and well."

"Olivia!" Clark gasped. "Where's Olivia?!"

"Your heir has gone with Oliver Queen. He is caring for her back at the Kents' home." He felt Lex grasp his arm. When he looked at him, Lex's eyes were wide and bright.

"We need to go home, Clark."

Clark felt tears pricking his eyes as he pulled Lex into his arms, kissing every inch of skin he could reach. "Yes, we do, but first," he pulled back, kissing Lex with all the love and desperation that had built up. "I love you, Lex. I love you so much." He yanked Lex back into his embrace, sobbing in relief when he felt Lex press his lips to Clark's neck.

"I love you, too, Clark. I missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too! I thought I lost you forever!"

"I'm here, Clark!" Lex cried. "I'm here!" They clung to each other, drained emotionally and physically, but they shared one common mission. "I want to see my daughter, Clark."

"Me too, Lex." He stood to his feet, wobbling unsteadily, before helping Lex up. "Let's go get our little girl."

"And Oliver?" Lex asked quietly.

Clark smiled, kissing Lex's lips. "And Oliver."


	9. Chapter 9

**NOTE:**** This goes out to everyone who held on for the update! I'm so sorry it took so long! This chapter is for you, Silver Wolf!**

* * *

Chloe never thought it could be so quiet in the middle of Metropolis, but it was. Oliver's penthouse was slowly turning into a graveyard. Every time a sound was made, everyone would jump, their eyes flicking from one corner of the room to the other, finding the source of whatever disturbed the silence.

She looked around the penthouse again from where she sat on the couch, her back to the elevator, and sighed. The boys, as she liked to call them, had long ago went into Oliver's little weapons room, leaving her alone while Olivia took a nap.

Martha and Johnathan Kent were out shopping for furniture and supplies for the new farmhouse Oliver was building for them. It was a tense night of arguing through which nobody got any sleep, until they finally admitted that they needed the help. If Clark was there with them, the fight would have been over within the hour.

Chloe's heart lurched, the sharp edge of grief slicing through her. Everyone stayed together after they found themselves back in the caves. There was really no discussion. When they finally made it back to Oliver's place, Oliver started barking out sleeping arrangements, tearing out sheets and pillows. The rest of them agreed, unwilling to leave. Chloe had guessed that they were all still here for the same reason she was. They were afraid that the minute they leave, Clark and Lex's death would be set in stone, irreversible. While they were still together, they could foolishly lie to themselves and think those two would be walking in the door at any minute.

Oliver took over care for Olivia, with help from Chloe, Martha, and Dr. Tidwell. The doctor quickly assigned himself the baby's pediatrician, after seeing just how much like Clark she was. 'Anyone else would sign her a one-way referral to Area 51,' he had said. Oliver took the baby into stride, buying her the best of the best. They had just finished putting up a little nursery in Oliver's room, but more than once, they saw that Olivia would be sleeping in the bed with Oliver, the crib remaining untouched.

Oliver was a wreck. He would be his normal, charming self while he held Olivia, but once someone else took her, he would almost collapse. Dark circles were under his eyes, his hair was messy, and nine times out of ten he would have to be forced to eat, shower, and sleep. The night they returned home, Oliver had collapsed in his bed, exhausted. He was so exhausted, he didn't hear Olivia crying for food in the middle of the night. Martha snuck her out, letting Oliver sleep, but soon, Oliver was screaming for Olivia, tears running down his face, searching for her. From then on, they took the time to wake Oliver and let him feed her himself.

Oliver, after alot of shouting on Chloe's part, finally returned to work today, leaving Olivia with her. Oliver, after much begging on his part, agreed that he would go to work long enough to make arrangements so he could work from home. After seeing the bloody nose Oliver gave A.C., she knew not to suggest a nanny.

Chloe jumped when she heard the elevator doors open, but didn't look up from the book she held. It was probably Martha and Johnathan, or maybe Bart, Victor, and A.C. were going out to grab a bite to eat. She rolled her eyes. She really needed to get over the idea that Clark and Lex were just going to waltz in and-

"Chloe?"

She tensed, the all-too familiar voice freezing her in place. She refused to look up. She was hearing things. She _had_ to be hearing things. It was just Oliver, doing a half-ass job at work just so he could rush home and-

Arms wrapped around her from behind, huge tanned arms crusted with dried flakes of blood. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn't look up, even if she did notice the callouses that could only belong to one farmboy.

"Oh, Chloe, I thought I'd never see you again!" The voice was thick with emotion, bringing tears to Chloe's eyes as she hesitantly touched the arm around her. The heat radiating out from Clark's arm seemed to thaw whatever had her frozen to the spot, because suddenly she whirled around, taking Clark's face in her hands.

"You're really here?" She asked, searching his eyes. The bright green, green as Kryptonite, eyes stared back into hers. Blood was dried on his face, making tufts of his hair stiff and sticky, but underneath was Clark's eyes, his smile.

His voice, "Yeah, it's me. It's us." He gestured to Lex, who was standing a few feet away, wringing his hands. His shirt was torn open, large bloodstains on his skin and clothes, covered with bruises from head to toe. Chloe turned back to Clark, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Chloe, I swear, it's really us. Jor-El, he healed us. We're going to be okay." Chloe slowly stood, moving around the couch to stand in front of him.

"Are you sure?" She asked, checking his body for injuries. "You're not hurt? Anywhere?"

Clark shook his head, "No, I'm fine."

She nodded, "Good." She leapt up, throwing her arms around his neck, clinging as tightly as she could as he caught her around the waist, holding her to him. "I missed you so much, Clark. We all did!" She felt him squeeze tighter, almost cutting off her air supply. "We've all been miserable without you two."

Clark sniffed, burying his face into her blonde hair. "It's okay, Chloe. We're back now. This will never happen again. I promise!"

"I should hope not," she said firmly, pulling back from him. She wiped her cheeks before leaning back in his arms, not willing to let go just yet. "_A.C.! Bart! Victor! Get in here, now!"_

Clark set her down on the floor, hugging her again, and giving her a kiss on the cheek, when the others came running into the living room. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw who was there.

"Lex?!" Bart exclaimed, jaw slack. Clark winced when he saw the thick bandages taped over his collarbone and the large purple bruises on his face. A.C. had stitches over one eyebrow and his hair stuck out of a square of gauze taped over his ear.

"Clark?!" Victor said, eyes wide. He leaned heavily into the crutch on his right side, the wood bowing under his weight. His leg was held out awkwardly, leaving him to wobble on one foot.

A.C. rushed forward, grinning, taking Clark's outstretched hand in a firm grasp. "I knew you two would find a way back! No one stays dead after having a kid that cute!" Clark laughed, a loud bark of sound that sent a wave of relief through all of them. The men rushed forward, taking turns hugging Clark and cracking jokes, something they weren't able to do since they left the fortress.

Lex stood off to the side, grimacing at his tattered, bloody clothes, using what he could of his shirt to cover his chest, feeling insecure. "Hey!" he looked up, seeing Bart step away from the group, hand extended. "You, too, Mama. You've been through more hell than any of us. Bring it in." The others looked at him expectantly, making him want to squirm under his gaze, but he kept his calm exterior.

"Mama?" he asked, a small smile on his face. Clark couldn't help but laugh with the others, noticing the blush on Lex's cheeks.

"Yeah," Bart said casually. "I mean, you did have the kid, and no offense, but Clark can't be anything but Daddy." Clark blushed this time, laughing again, then his smile vanished when he saw Lex stiffen.

"Where is she?" Clark asked, the close crowd breaking up around him. Clark moved over to Lex, standing beside him. "Where's Olivia?"

Chloe gestured to the hallway across from them. "She's in Ollie's room, taking a nap. She should wake up in a little while. Her and Oliver don't sleep much at night."

"Is Oliver okay?" Lex asked her, brushing his hand against Clark's.

They all shared a heavy look before Victor spoke, "He's having a hard time. Chloe barely got him to work this morning."

"Even Mrs. K is having trouble getting him to eat." Bart added, sitting on the couch. Clark took Lex's hand when he felt the man shudder.

"He's obsessed with Olivia, though." Chloe said, looking at Lex. "He hasn't let her out of his sight since we got back."

"We're thinking about changing his name from Green Arrow to Hoverdad," Bart said with a grin. "But in all seriousness though, Uncle Ollie is going to be hanging around you alot. He loves her."

"Good," Clark said, casting a quick glance at Lex, "because we were hoping he would be more than just Uncle Ollie."

Chloe gave them a knowing smile, raising an eyebrow at Lex. "So it isn't unrequited?"

Lex shook his head, leaning into Clark. "No, it isn't."

Clark nodded, too, "He's done a lot for Lex and he was there when I needed him. He's been there for Olivia, and I think with time, we'll all be happy together as a family." Chloe went to speak again, but the chime of the elevator grabbed their attention.

"It's mom and dad." Clark said, his voice trembling. Sure enough, when the doors opened, Martha and Johnathan were shuffling out of the elevator, their arms loaded with shopping bags. They didn't notice the crowd standing a few feet from them as they continued what, to Clark, sounded like an all-day argument.

"Martha, it's the man's money. Just because he offered up his credit card, it doesn't mean we have to use it!"

"Johnathan, do you hear yourself? Our house burned down, and Oliver is letting us rebuild our home. Do you really want Olivia and Oliver to stay in a house that's empty? This will be a home for them and us!" Lex squeezed Clark's hand when he saw his face crumple in guilt. "And you still haven't told him how many rooms we need!"

"That's because I'm not sure if Olivia should have her own room. Oliver seems pretty dead set against her being more than a few inches away from him."

"She should have her own room." Lex spoke up, a small smile on his face. The Kents froze, looking up with wide eyes. "I think we can convince Oliver to give her some space." The bags they were holding dropped to the ground, the sounds of something metal clashing together, and something heavy made of glass hit the floor with a dull thud.

"Clark!" Martha said in a rush of breath. "Oh, Lex!" She ran forward, enveloping both of them in a tight hug. "Oh, thank you, God! You're back!" She pulled back, pulling them both into her arms again individually, her happy sobs the only sound in the room. Lex fought down the knot building in his throat, and from the look on Clark's face as he held his mother to him, he was fighting a losing battle with his emotions. Johnathan stepped up to them, his eyes wide and glistening with a sheen of tears. Martha kissed them both soundly on the cheeks before moving away. Johnathan slowly reached out, touching Clark's cheek.

Clark looked into his father's eyes, his lip trembling, until in a flurry of movement, their arms were wrapped tightly around each other, Clark's sobs muffled in the man's jacket. Lex watched them, letting a tear or two escape, then Clark dropped to the floor on his knees, taking his father with him. Johnathan didn't seem surprised, instead he patted Clark's back, occasionally kissing his forehead. "It's okay, son. I've got you. You're home now, Clark. You're back home." He looked up at Lex, the same tenderness he looked at Clark with in his eyes. "You, too, son. You're home." Lex couldn't stop himself as he dropped to his knees beside Clark, accepting the embrace of the father he always wanted.

* * *

The small child in the crib twitched in her sleep as Lex watched her. He still couldn't really believe it. He had a daughter. He and Clark had a baby girl that was fully and completely theirs. His heart clenched in his chest when he remembered how he got pregnant in the first place, but watching his little girl sleep, he realized he would do it all over again for her.

"You should wash up, Lex." Clark said softly, moving up behind him. The heady scent of expensive soap swirled around him as Clark hugged him to his chest, his hair still damp from the shower. "Oliver has that soap you like. The one that smells like sandalwood."

Lex nodded. "He used to steal it from me at the Academy." Clark laughed quietly in Lex's ear, his hot breath tickling his ear. "She's gorgeous, Clark." He felt him tense behind him. "Clark?"

"I can't help it, Lex. What _he_ did...what _he_ made me do...it's-" Lex turned around, looping his arms around Clark's neck. The only clean clothes they had for him that fit were some of A.C.'s clothes, and frankly, orange wasn't a good color for Clark. He looked better in the red and blue. He stood in front of Lex, barefoot in a pair of loose sweatpants and a plain tank top. He noticed as Clark walked away to shower that he had a limp in his left leg, where Oliver's arrow had been. It made Lex wonder what other pains Clark felt.

"Clark, I will say this once, and only once. What happened was not your fault." Clark flinched, leaning into Lex's touch, his body rigid. "We were all tricked. It's like Jor-El said. Brainiac tricked you into bringing me to the fortress. He tricked you into forcing all of that stuff into my head, distracting me so I couldn't see what was happening to you. Every whisper in your head telling you to kill, every dark moment you wanted to draw blood and bruise me, and every single thing that has happened the past couple of months was _him_." Clark wouldn't meet Lex's eyes, instead staring at the tiny bundle in the crib as if it was something that would leap up and bite him, terrified. "_I am me, love. You are Kal-El. She is Le-El. We are mother, father, and daughter. Family." _

Clark finally met Lex's eyes, with a smile that was both sad and loving. "You can still speak Kryptonian?"

"_It still remains." _Lex then cleared his throat. "Everything is still there. It gives me a headache when I focus too hard, but it's not screaming at me anymore. I think the whole mind-rape was more for Brainiac's enjoyment than anything."

Clark nodded. A little laugh broke through his lips, washing Lex in relief. "So you're sticking to what Bart said? About being the mother?"

Lex smiled, too, turning back to the bundle lying in the crib. "If everything works out, Clark, it will be really confusing if we were all dads. It will be weird at first, yeah, but I know the minute she calls me anything at all, I'll be okay with it."

"Well, she doens't have to call you mama or mother." Clark came to his side, waiting until Lex looked up before continuing. "When I was...you know, trapped, I kept seeing this word whenever _he _looked at you."

"I'm pretty sure there were many words. Each one more colorful than the last..." Lex mumbled sarcastically. The baby shifted, her face scrunching before she relaxed again. Lex couldn't resist running his hand along the edge of her silk-lined baby blanket. "But I'm assuming this word doesn't translate to female dog or fatherless child?"

Clark smiled to himself, missing Lex's humor. Ever since the voices started messing with his head, he had missed it. It had seemed like forever since either of them shared a joke. "No, it was Kryptonian. It is _voikirium_. It means 'hero' or 'savior'."

Clark pulled Lex into his side, letting him lean his head on his shoulder. "Pretty big word for a little girl, Clark." He held him tighter, kissing his head.

"Maybe just Kiri for short. We could say she learned it from a dead language, it wouldn't be lying." Lex tensed in his grip, shaking his head.

"I'm not a hero, Clark. I'm as far from the definition of 'savior' as you can possibly get." Clark leaned further into his body, ignoring the taste of blood as he kissed Lex's lips, guilt coiling in his stomach when he remembered who was responsible for it.

He pulled away, using his hand on Lex's chin to turn his head, "You see that little girl, Lex? She is Kryptonian. She will have my abilities and my genes. Through her, our race will grow and multiply, and she could have never existed if it wasn't for you. I am no longer the last child of Krypton, Lex. Kryptonians still have a chance, and it's all because of _you_."

"Any meteor freak could have done it-"

"No, they couldn't, Lex." He said sharply, pulling Lex around to face him. "Because I could never love them as much as I love you. You are the strongest, bravest man I know, and you gave me the most amazing thing I always wanted, my own family. I always thought it would be impossible, with my abilities, that even if it was physically possible to actually get someone pregnant with my genes that any baby of mine would kill them."

_It did kill me, _Lex thought, but then he shook it off. If they were better prepared, and if Brainiac wasn't trying his hardest to take their child away, it would have been simpler.

"Lex," Clark continued, "you gave me the most beautiful baby girl that I have ever seen. You have pulled me back from some very dark places. No matter what I did, or what I said, when I fell, you were always there to catch me. Even when I thought you hated me, you went out of your way to protect me. Even after I...after _he_," he sighed, shaking his head, "You still loved me. You saved me. You kept giving me the strength to hold on, to come back. If you weren't there, I-I don't know-" he trailed off, dropping his head. Lex ran his hands through Clark's hair, letting the soft tresses curl around his fingers. Clark leaned into the touch, whimpering in his throat. "You're my hero, Lex. You will always be my hero."

Lex held Clark for what seemed like forever, afraid to let go. Clark seemed to feel the same. His arms were wrapped around Lex's waist, squeezing with enough strength to shorten his breath.

Then a whimper followed by a loud cry caused them to jump apart, looking down in the crib. Olivia had woken up, eyes screwed shut as she cried for a bottle, her little arms reaching out for comfort. "Go take a shower, Lex." Clark said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Mom will come in and help me with Olivia."

"I want to stay," he said sternly, picking up his child. He cradled the little girl in his arms, holding the frail child as if she was glass. Then he felt a primal fear clawing in his heart when tanned, strong arms took her away from him, but the fear quelled when he looked up to see his gentle smile.

"You have all night to coddle her, Lex." Holding Olivia in one arm, he cradled Lex's head in the other, kissing him softly, pulling him back to whisper against his lips, "She'll still be here when you come back. I promise." Lex moved forward as Clark pulled away, afraid to lose his lips as well, and Clark laughed. He quickly moved away from Lex, sitting on the bed with Olivia in his arms, her cries dulling into unhappy whines. "Go, Lex. Everything is okay now. We're home."

Staring at the little child in Clark's arms, the word suddenly hit him. Home. He really was home. He finally had a family he wanted to be a part of. He had Clark. He had Olivia. He hoped that he could keep Oliver, but even if he couldn't, he still had a home. He quickly gathered some clothes he borrowed from Oliver's closet, rushing into the bathroom. As he showered the blood off of his body, his clothes long past salvageable, he noticed tears going down his face. He wiped them away, laughing uncontrollably instead of sobbing. He also felt something else he never thought he would experience. For once in his life, he was truly happy.

* * *

Oliver rubbed his eyes, groaning, as he leaned against the wall of his elevator. The day seemed to take forever, but it registered in his mind as a giant blur. He managed to make arrangements to work from home, but for the love of God, he couldn't remember much else. Thank god for Becky. One look at his face and she cleared his entire schedule, stripping his obligations to the bare essentials. He couldn't recall who came through his office, how he got there, or how he got home. All he could think about was Clark and Lex. Olivia helped distract him, but looking at her made the gaping wound in his chest throb painfully.

He decided when they came back from the fortress that he wouldn't let a single thing hurt her. The beginning of her life was painful enough to last a lifetime, she didn't need any more pain.

It also didn't help that he was way in over his head. Every single one of her cries leave him a nervous wreck. The night Martha took her to feed her was a nightmare. It was like losing Clark and Lex all over again. He couldn't let Olivia down. She was his now, and he would raise her the way Lex and Clark would have. He would encourage her abilities, teaching her to use them to help people, while at the same time, avoiding unwanted attention, he would probably have to consult the Kents on that. He would also spoil her rotten, like he knew Lex would. Screw Green Arrow! Screw Metropolis! His life is now dedicated to that adorable little girl in his penthouse, waiting for her Uncle Ollie to return home. He doubted she would call him Oliver, and he definitely didn't want to be Daddy. He dreaded the day she would try to call him that. He knows that his heart will rip to teeny tiny pieces when she does, but he'll never show it. He won't let it show. He didn't deserve to be Daddy, not when the two men who rightfully own that title died in his arms.

The elevator dinged, pulling him out of his thoughts as he anxiously waited for the door to open.

He rushed through once the crack was big enough to fit through, but stopped when he saw everyone gathered around him. Chloe stood to the side, her arms crossed, with a small smile on her face. His team slouched in different areas of the penthouse, smirking at him. The Kents looked up from unpacking their shopping bags. Martha's red, teary face was something he was used to seeing the past few days, but when he saw Johnathan's face in the same condition, his stomach dropped to his feet.

"Where is she?" he asked, his voice hollow. Oh, please, don't let anything be wrong.

Martha came up to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He froze for a moment before awkwardly returning the embrace. There's something wrong. Something has happened to Olivia! He knew he should have never left!

"She's in your room. She just woke up." Martha said as she pulled away, her voice calming.

He frowned in confusion. "Why hasn't someone went to check on her? She usually needs a bottle around this time." He glanced at his watch to be sure, and yes, it was five o'clock. Her bottle is actually supposed to be around four thirty, but he let it slide. She was probably as exhausted as he was. "Is she okay, Martha? Is Dr. Tidwell here?" They all looked at one another, as if having some silent conversation. "Guys," he said slowly, looking at each one in turn, "Who has Olivia?"

"Let him go," Chloe told them, looking only at Oliver. "He needs to see it for himself." His heart started pounding as he rushed past them towards his room. Has she already developed powers? Is she flying around his room or something? Clark couldn't fly, but Oliver failed to see why he couldn't. If the man could jump a hundred stories without breaking a sweat, surely he could have taken it one step further...

His thoughts slammed to screeching halt when he heard muffled voices behind his door. The voices were male, but he refused to think why they sounded so familiar. No, it's not possible. They died, he saw it, he _felt _it. He held their hands as they stopped breathing.

He gripped the doorknob tightly, glad he didn't have Clark's strength, because even now, he was worried he would crush it. The muffled voices quieted, but then another sound reached Oliver's ears. It was a sound that continued to surprise him even after a few days with her. It was a high-pitched shriek that wasn't a cry. It took a day and a half for Oliver to realize that when Olivia shrieked like that, it wasn't a pained sound. It was a sound of joy. She was laughing.

Oliver froze to the spot when the door was pulled open, despite his iron grip on the handle. He stared at the orange-clad chest, his mind trying to stop his heart from swelling with hope. He slowly raised his eyes to see the broad chest, the square jaw, the kind smile, and then finally, a pair of vivid green eyes and curly black hair.

Suddenly, everything turned on its side as he collapsed, his knees giving out from under him. "Oliver!" he heard someone gasp.

"Lex, get Dad to help." Oliver vaguely saw a blur of Lex run past them with a lavender bundle in his arms, but then Clark leaned over him, his eyes wide with worry. "It's okay, Oliver, we're here. We're back. Olivia is okay. We fed her and changed her, and we were waiting for you to come home so we could tell you, but we didn't know how to do it, so we thought we would just let you come to us, and God, I didn't know it would mess up like this..." Oliver's head was fuzzy again like it had been all day, but he saw himself coming closer to Clark while he rambled. He felt his large shoulders and his muscled back under his hands as he pulled him in, clinging to him like he would a rock in the rapids.

Everything around him was muffled as it seemed to take forever for Clark to wrap his arms around him, but when they did, sound suddenly came back loudly and painfully as broken sobs hit his ears like knives. Clark held him tighter, almost too tight, whispering to him and rocking him slightly. The sobs grew faster and louder, and it wasn't until his throat felt raw that Oliver realized the sobs were coming from him, and that the fuzzy appearance of the hallway around them was just his eyes clouded over with tears, streaming down his face without restraint.

Another pair of arms came around them, and Oliver felt someone kneel behind him, pressing his body to his. Oliver lost all strength when he felt a smooth, bald head under his hand. The two men cradled him in their arms as he purged himself of all the grief, pain, and hopelessness that tore a hole in his chest, leaving the scarred edges to heal.

"Martha and Johnathan will keep Olivia in their room tonight." Lex's voice soothed in his ear. "Tonight is just us. Clark and I," another sob tore out of Oliver's chest, "Clark and I want to talk."

Oliver nodded, not able to trust his voice. With their help, he climbed up from the floor and they led him into his bedroom, laying him gently on his king-sized bed, which oddly enough, had green sheets.

"Just rest for a while, Oliver." Clark said, with a warm smile. "Lex and I will be back in a little while. We didn't really get a chance to talk to everybody." They turned towards the door, when Oliver leaped out with a broken sound, grabbing Clark's shirt.

"No!" He cried, his voice cracking. "Please, stay."

Clark's face fell, and he looked up at Lex. Lex nodded, "I'll stay with him, Clark. Go calm things down out there. They're probably worried about Oliver." Clark looked between Lex and Oliver, helpless for a moment, before he set his shoulders. Lex gently pried Oliver's hand off of Clark, letting the fingers grip his hand instead.

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed, standing. "I'll be right back." He stopped, as if to kiss Lex, but he pulled away, looking briefly at Oliver. "Right back," he said again, before he left.

Oliver let out a whoosh of air, collapsing back on to his bed, squeezing his eyes shut. He's lost it. He's finally lost it. He's got to be imagining this! There's no way that those two...

"Ollie?" Lex asked, unsure. The quiet voice forced his eyes open. Lex sat beside him on the bed, still holding his hand. "This is real. You're not going crazy."

"How did you-" he asked, his voice thick.

"I've seen quite a few people come back from the dead in my day. Though, I never had to see what you had to see." He clutched Oliver's hand tighter, kissing his knuckles. The action made Oliver's head clear and his heart race. "We're so sorry that you had to go through that. All of you, but we couldn't have picked a better person to watch our daughter, Oliver. Just from what everyone told us, I can tell you love her so much."

"I love you, Lex." Oliver blurted, the skin of his knuckles tingling where Lex kissed them. Lex pulled back, his eyes wide and his lips parted. Oliver kept going, sure that he was about to lose him and Olivia for good. "Losing you and Clark was the worst fucking thing to ever happen to me. I watched you die, Lex." He ignored Lex's flinch. "Watching the two of you just-...just leave me like that. It ripped a fucking whole in my chest, and I know that sounds stupid, but it's true. Olivia was the only thing I had, and I love her will all my heart. I love you. I love Clark. And, God, I just want the three of you to stay with me for the rest of my life. I love you all so much, and I can't lose you again." He used his grip on Lex's hand to pull him closer, their faces inches apart. "I understand now, Lex. I understand why you did what you did. I would give up everything for you. Queen Industries, Green Arrow, Metropolis, and even my fucking life for the three of you!" He pressed his lips to Lex's, groaning with monumental relief that he could feel all the way down to his bones. Before Lex could react, he pulled away, clutching the man to him with all of his strength. "I was so scared, Lex. Don't ever leave me again!"

Lex sat, stunned, as Oliver wrapped himself around his torso, trembling. His lips burned where Oliver kissed them, and he barely resisted the urge to rub them with his fingers. He sensed Clark coming in the room and stopping in the doorway. Lex gave him a firm look before wrapping his arms around Oliver, holding him tighter when the action tore a shudder from him.

"Love you guys so much, Lex," his voice said, muffled in the shirt Lex wore. Clark went rigid, looking up to Lex. Lex only nodded, kissing the head of golden hair in front of him.

"Oliver," Lex's voice was rough and quiet as he spoke, "it'll all be okay."

"No, it won't!" Oliver snapped, pulling away. He noticed Clark standing at the door, but looked back at Lex, anger in his eyes. "You two are going to take Olivia and leave me. You have Clark. Clark has you. You both have Olivia-"

"We need you, too, Oliver." Clark muttered, cutting him off. "When I needed you, you were there. When Lex and Olivia needed you, you were there. You drop everything and come to our sides with no questions asked, and you know we would do the same for you." He crossed the room in three strides, kneeling by the bed, his eyes locked with Oliver's. "Naming Olivia after you was the easiest decision Lex and I ever made, and giving her to you when we thought we would never see her again was even easier. You were there for them both, and I couldn't imagine how we could love anyone more than we love you."

Oliver felt like the world was yanked out from under him again, but this time, it was less of a free-fall and more like floating. They loved him? If they loved him, they wouldn't leave, right?

Clark leaned closer to him, a hand cradling his cheek. "We also named our daughter Olivia because we want her to be named after all of her fathers. We want you to raise her with us, Oliver. We want you to be a part of our family." He fell then. He fell down and he must have hit his head and died. There was no way in Heaven, Hell, or Earth that this could be happening.

"Clark..." was all he could say, emotion clogging his throat.

Clark gave him a small smile, his thumb brushing his cheek. "Nothing about us is normal, Oliver. We love you, and the lives we live make it stupid to deny it. The three of us have been alone for too long. We need each other." He paused, thinking. "We'll have to talk about this, yeah, but right now, we feel the same way you do." He suddenly pressed his lips to Oliver's. Oliver's groan of relief was broken as he clung to Clark. After a moment, Clark pulled away, breathing heavily. Oliver huffed before continuing to kiss his jaw, working his way down Clark's neck. "Oliver-" Clark breathed, amused. "Oliver-_oh! _Oliver, wait a minute."

Oliver pulled away, groaning. "Clark, _please!_" He snatched Clark's hand, pressing it into the hardness in his pants. "I need to feel you, Clark." He whipped around to stare down Lex, his eyes begging. "I need you. Need to know you're really here. _With me._" He heard Clark moan behind him, his hand pressing harder on Oliver's cock. Lex watched, his jaw slack, before he lunged forward, a small sound escaping his throat as he claimed Oliver's lips.

"Clark?" Lex said into Oliver's mouth. Clark pressed in tight behind him, still palming Oliver through his pants. Oliver whimpered, bucking his hips.

Clark reached past Oliver to caress Lex's head, pulling a shiver out of him. "I can bottom. I don't want to hurt either of you."

Oliver yanked himself away from Lex's lips, colliding back into Clark's chest. Falling back into his body was like throwing himself into a warm wall of steel. Clark's arm wrapped protectively around his middle to keep him upright. Oliver clung to it, a wild look in his eyes. "No!" He gasped. "No, I want you inside me, Clark. I need it to hurt a little bit. I need to feel it."

"Oliver-" Clark began but Lex shook his head.

"No, Clark, he's right. The pain helps us remember it's real. He needs this." Lex looked a little withdrawn as he said it, pulling away, but Oliver reached out, grabbing his hand.

"What about you, Lex?" He asked, uncertain. The Lex he remembered would want the pain, too, but perhaps Lex has had enough pain?

"Lex." Clark said, catching his gaze. They shared a look, unspoken words flying between them, then Lex nodded once, looking away. "We'll never pressure you, Lex. When you're ready, you can tell us." He nodded again, paling a bit.

Oliver made a grunt of understanding. He could understand that Lex still needed to work past the memories. It's going to be hard enough without Clark there, reminding him of what happened to them.

"I can give," Lex suddenly said, his voice firm. "but I don't think I'm ready for taking, not yet. Give me time."

"Lex, you have all the time in the world," Oliver assured, squeezing his hand for emphasis. Lex smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, his eyes warmer. "I'll bottom. I want to see both of you." Lex shuddered, and Clark laughed breathlessly. Oliver leaned back further into Clark's chest, feeling naturally safe in his arms, but looking at Lex, he felt like the one who needed to protect him. And both of them needed to protect Clark. While their troubles were normal, or as normal as billionaires could be, Clark's demons were darker, bigger, and a thousand times scarier, and while Clark could rip this entire thirty-story building out of the ground, his heart, his _mind_, was so vulnerable and fragile. Oliver and Lex knew what the monsters, both human and alien, could do with that, so it was their job to protect that.

Lex nodded once, a not-quite-there smile on his face.

No more words were said as they fell into each other, hands and lips going everywhere. Clark held Oliver as Lex mouthed the side of Clark's neck, using his teeth to elicit gasps and moans from the farmboy. Clark's lips were on Oliver's, returning Oliver's desperate passion with abandon. Teeth clacked together and tongues wrestled clumsily for dominance, but Oliver thought the kiss was absolute perfection. He heard Lex moan above him, and he could feel Clark's strength around him.

Clothes started coming off, some slowly while others were torn apart in a heated frenzy. Skin met skin and suddenly the men couldn't get enough. Clark flipped Oliver under him. Oliver's legs were around his waist, his feet grazing Lex's thighs as Lex moved to kneel over Clark.

Oliver's head reeled, leaving him helpless as calloused hands ran down his chest, pausing to rub over his nipples. Oliver hissed, arching his body into Clark's. Clark's mouth was back on his, tasting Oliver until all he could taste was Clark. He was like fresh honey and expensive coffee. Dark, exotic, and so incredibly sweet it was decadent. He suddenly felt fingers, slick with lube, teasing his entrance. He shuddered, thrusting his hips into Clark's.

Clark then growled low in his throat, "God, Lex!" Oliver looked up to see Lex over Clark, staring down Clark's body as his fingers prepped him. The sight made the probing fingers on his own body feel so much better. His nerves were electrified, every little breath and touch feeling absolutely incredible. He watched Clark arch his back beautifully, pressing back into Lex's hand, then he gasped when a finger breached him.

It stung. He didn't know what to expect, but he certainly wasn't expecting it to burn. "Clark!" He gasped, his eyes screwing shut. "Clark! Wait just a minute." Clark slowed, his movements careful and slow despite Lex's ministrations behind him. Clark was panting for breath, and Oliver could imagine if he was human he would be sweating with the effort it took to hold back.

After a moment, Clark added a second finger, kissing Oliver's forehead when he winced. He thrusted slowly. Oliver held onto Clark's shoulders, feeling Lex's lips kiss his knuckles. Soon the burn eased and Oliver felt the urge to arch into Clark. This was missing something. There was something there that needed…

"_Oh my God, Clark! Fuck!" _Clark found whatever it was with his fingers, somewhere inside Oliver. Each time he brushed it, it sent a white-hot bolt of pleasure up his back, making him arch and gasp like a porn star. Clark leaned into Oliver, swallowing his moans and pants with his lips. His fingers sped, and Oliver could feel the strength Clark was using, above him, around him, and _inside _of him. "More, Clark! _Please. _I need more!"

He added a third finger, groaning at both Oliver's wanton moan and Lex's prod to his prostate. Clark couldn't hold on much longer. His dick was so hard. He felt like he was burning from the inside out, and there was nothing that could stop the explosion building inside him.

"_Lex!_" Clark gasped, pulling his fingers away from Oliver's body, his heart clenching at the primal whine coming from him. He forced himself to look over his shoulder at Lex, but the sight of Oliver writhing under him was almost too good to resist. This, right here, with Lex and Oliver, was one of Clark's dreams come to life. These men were two of the best friends he ever had. They always watched over him, protected him, and now they both love him. Good or bad, whatever happens after this night will change their lives forever.

"I love it when you say my name like that, Clark!" Oliver watched Lex devour Clark with his lips, the normally calm and collected exterior falling away to show someone starved for affection. Oliver could see what Clark saw in Lex. He was so vulnerable, and so beautiful. While their lips were meshed together, Lex blindly reached out for Oliver, guiding Clark's hands to his hips. Clark's strong fingers took a firm grip of his hips, his hands clenching with each swipe of Lex's tongue over his lips.

Lex finally pulled away, his hands resting over Clark's. "I want to see you press inside of him, Clark."

Clark's breath left him in a groan, and Oliver felt his heart skip a beat. "You're going to kill us if you talk like that." Lex grinned, a grin that was as seductive as it was primal. It was such a heated, promising look that Oliver had to close his eyes before he came too soon.

Then his eyes flew open when he felt the blunt head of Clark's cock press into him. A shout of both pleasure and pain tore from him, his body suddenly wrapping around Clark, refusing to let him go. Clark entered Oliver in one smooth motion, the impact of his hips both excruciating and addicting. Clark froze above him, his hands clenching Oliver's hips, almost to the point of bruising. The grip actually did turn bruising when Clark moaned brokenly, a look of plain ecstasy on his face. Oliver knew he could die right then with a smile on his face. He couldn't think of anything more beautiful than Clark right then. A grunt from Lex stole his attention, and their eyes met. Well, he could think of one thing…

They fell into an easy rhythm of push and pull, their bodies rocking together. Clark spent most of the time with his face buried between Oliver's neck and shoulder, his rough tongue gliding up and down the column of his throat, occasionally sucking a hickey into his skin. He couldn't bring himself to care. He needed proof that this was real. That he wouldn't wake up tomorrow just to realize this was a dream. Lex leaned close over them, interlacing his fingers with Oliver's and running his lips over Clark's back.

Clark arched into both Lex and Oliver, caught between the pleasure of being both the lover and the loved. Oliver squirmed under him, feeling the thrusts of both men, his balls tightening with each maddening graze to his prostate. Lex clutched Oliver's fingers like a lifeline as he rocked into Clark. Clark's body felt like a furnace, almost too hot to touch and his body squeezed around his dick, the muscles rippling over him unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Oliver's cries grew louder with each thrust. Clark clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to tear something apart as the pleasure built in the base of his spine. Lex started biting Clark, trying to quiet the filthy moans pouring out of his mouth. He dug his teeth into Clark's shoulder, sparing a moment to mourn the fact he couldn't leave any marks.

"_Oh, God!" _Oliver gasped, arching his entire body into Clark. He clung to Clark, clawing his back and pulling his hair. "I'm gonna-…I'm have to…" Clark angled his body a bit before slamming back into Oliver, hitting his prostate with deadly accuracy.

"_CLARK! Oh, fuck! Oh, Lex!" _Clark pounded into Oliver's body. Lex followed Clark's example, slamming his hips into Clark's. Clark cried out, using a fraction of his strength to force his dick into the tightening passage around him.

He thrusted once, twice, three more times before Oliver's face was lost in an expression of pure pleasure. "_LEX! CLARK! _Oh, right there! Right _fucking _there!" With a loud keen, Oliver climaxed, coming between their stomachs, making their movement slicker and all the more stimulating. Oliver continued screaming their names, moaning and writhing under them.

Clark tried to hold on for as long as he could, desperately trying to rein in his strength as he plowed into Oliver's twitching body, yanking small moans and shudders from the blonde. He fought to concentrate even as Lex mercilessly teased his prostate with his dick. Clark's cock grazed Oliver's prostate and his body clamped him like a vice, forcing an orgasm out of him. Clark came with a surprised shout, his tightening passage pulling a climax out of Lex. They shook in a tangle of limbs, clinging to each other as the orgasms tapered off, leaving them light-headed and exhausted.

Clark and Lex fell on either side of Oliver. Clark propped his head on Oliver's chest. Lex pulled Oliver into him, propping his head on his arm as he carded his fingers through Clark's thick hair. They all panted for breath, letting the lethargy of their afterglow pull them under.

"I love you both." Clark said in the quiet room. "I need you both to know that."

Oliver smiled, kissing the hair tickling his nose. "We both love you, too, Clark. I'm so happy you two are back. You guys have a beautiful little girl."

"You do, too, Oliver." Lex said, back to his calm and collected façade. "Tomorrow morning, you will officially be listed as a guardian for Olivia Marlira Kent. I promise."

"You mean Sutton, right?" Clark asked, his sleepy voice slurring the words. Oliver and Lex laughed, hugging the tired man.

"No, Kent." Oliver replied. "Olivia Kent. I like it. Don't worry, Clark. She'll be the sole heir to the Queen fortune. I don't intend to have any other kids. That is, with anyone else, but I guess we'll talk about that."

Clark grimaced, his eyes glaring daggers suddenly. "It's not happening again!" He snapped. "Olivia was a miracle, but it's not worth risking your lives for another."

"We'll talk, Clark." Lex assured him, a small gentle smile on his face. "Let's get some sleep. We've all had a rough week." They settled into a comfortable embrace, whispering good nights to each other as they drifted to sleep.

They jerked awake again when they heard Olivia's cries. Lex and Clark couldn't help themselves as they started to laugh. Oliver just groaned.

"Oh, no, I forgot to make her bottle. She must be hungry." He moved to get out of bed, but then two sets of arms held him down. "Guys, she needs me." He protested. "She needs a bottle for bed." The men laughed again as they both climbed up to their knees, still pinning Oliver.

"Don't worry," Lex cooed, leaning over Oliver. He kissed the blonde, plunging his tongue deep into his mouth. He pulled away, grinning when Oliver tried to follow. "Martha is excellent with kids. We trust her. Right, Clark?"

Oliver jerked when a pair of hot lips started sliding over the pulse in his throat, but then his head lolled to the side, giving him better access, a weary moan leaving his throat. The lips pulled back long enough to whisper a 'yes' before they were back on his throat, a twin set on the other side joining them, making Oliver rock-hard and weeping in seconds.

"Oh, God! Don't stop!"

He didn't want them to stop. _Ever._ He just wanted to be with them, and with Olivia, for the rest of his life. These two men and that little baby girl were his world now and he would do anything to protect them. He no longer cared about Green Arrow, or Queen Industries. If that all vanished tomorrow, he had his fail-safe. He would have his new family. If he had to, he would change his name to Oliver fucking _Kent_, but he would never let these people out of his sight again. With Lex and Clark, he was just Oliver, and to that little girl, he would be Uncle Ollie, and those are the two names he would rather die than to ever, _ever _give up!


	10. BONUS!

**Note:**** Bonus Chapter, my loves! I would like to warn that some kinky stuff happens in the end, so brace yourselves! Here is some family fluff with a classic DC cameo (in the classic Smallville style) lol...You guys made me so happy with your comments...I love to hear from y'all...and I hope this is the epilogue you were wanting! Love ya! 333**

* * *

The rain in Spain doesn't necessarily fall in the plains, because Lex was on the coast and it has been pouring for days. He ran through the downpour, holding his jacket over his head. He remembered being powerful enough that he would just step out of a limo with some fresh-faced intern holding an umbrella over his head, but now it hit his head like any normal guy. The thought made him laugh under his breath.

"Mr. Sutton," a tall man in a suit rushed up to him, holding an umbrella. Well, since Oliver gave him a share of Queen Industries, giving him back most of his old projects, he supposed he had some of his prestige back. "I am Guillermo Valtez, the accounting head. You should have called," the executive said in a heavily accented English, "We would have had a car come for you." A crack of thunder clapped over them, making them jump. "Or perhaps a boat."

Lex chuckled, following the man into the high-rise, peeling off his coat to hang by the door.

"It was a surprise to hear that Mr. Queen wouldn't oversee this proposal directly. He has been trying to work with us for years." Guillermo remarked, leading Lex to the elevators. They entered the elevator, a flash of lightning illuminating the building in grays and whites.

Lex shrugged, leaning back against the wall with a hand in his pocket. His fingers grazed a glossy piece of paper, the edges worn from his fingers as he fiddled with it. "Oliver Queen is a busy man, and that is the understatement of the century. He trusts me. I want to be considered just as an extension of Oliver Queen's interest. There is nothing I approve of that he doesn't."

The tanned man nodded thoughtfully, a small smile on his face. "Yes, we have heard. I hear his daughter is now a teenager." He laughed then. "My little flower is only nine. I can only imagine how difficult it is to have a teenage daughter alongside a billion-dollar industry."

Lex suppressed a scoff. _Tell me about it…_ "She is. She is beautiful."

Guillermo then looked down at the hand Lex still had in his pocket, then reached into his, pulling out his wallet. He opened the billfold, taking out a small picture. "My little Francesca the day she was born." He handed Lex the photo. The baby had the same tanned skin of her father, a thick curl of black hair on her head. Seeing the tiny bundle in the picture made Lex's heart ache. He missed the days where Olivia was that small.

"She's adorable." He said, handing the picture back. He then took out the worn photo in his pocket. It was a picture Chloe's boyfriend, Jimmy, had taken while they all spent their rare day off at the Kent's farmhouse, the house they rebuilt after it burned to ashes.

_Olivia was four years old, her father's ebony hair cascading in small waves down her back. Lex's gray eyes shown with joy in her face when she saw Oliver pull into the driveway. He had been in Star City, closing the sale on his home, so he could move to Smallville with Lex and Clark. She had showed her first power the week before. During a temper tantrum, she tore her tricycle to pieces, the metal had been bent and twisted beyond recognition. Clark had quickly stepped in to calm her, but now that strength looked almost non-existent in the frail little girl running towards the smiling blonde. _

"_Daddy!" She squealed jumping into his waiting arms. Oliver yelped as he was tackled to the ground, groaning. _

"_Olivia Kent!" Lex gasped, running up to Oliver with Clark to check on him. Clark picked up the pouting Olivia, cradling her close while Lex helped Oliver sit up. Oliver winced as he sat up, shaking dirt out of his hair, before he smiled. Then the smile turned into a laugh. "Oliver, are you okay?" _

_Oliver laughed again, leaning back on his elbows. "Yeah, Lex, I'm fine." He then moved to his feet, cringing, holding his side. "That's going to bruise." He turned to Olivia, who was now hiding her face in Clark's shoulder, as Clark tried to soothe her with Kryptonian whispers. "Hey, Girl Scout." The little girl looked up, her bottom lip trembling. He tapped the protruding lip with his thumb, before carding his fingers through her hair. "I'm okay. Daddy's okay. Just maybe next time, we won't give you a running start." Clark and Lex chuckled, relief running through them. Olivia's new strength was scary. Clark now understood how his own parents felt. _

"_You have to be very careful now, Livvy." Clark added, looking his daughter in the eye. "You and I are not like everyone else. We both have to be careful not to break anything, that includes Kiri and Daddy, okay?"_

_The little girl nodded, her tiny fists gripping her father's jacket. "Okay, Papa." She was still pouting, nervously glancing at Oliver. All three men seemed to come to the same conclusion of how to cheer her up, because while Clark leaned in to kiss the top of her head, Oliver kissed her cheek, while Lex took a little hand in both of his and pressed his lips to her knuckles. They didn't hear the click of a camera nor did they see the small smile on the little girl's face._

Guillermo's eyes widened as he looked at the picture, but he said nothing as he handed it back. "She is beautiful. The tall one, he's the father?"

Lex nodded. "Yeah, Oliver adopted her when he saw Clark struggling to support her." At least, that was the story.

"She looks much like him." Was all he said before the elevator dinged, the doors sliding open. "Shall we get to work?"

Lex straightened, a friendly smile on his face as he slipped into a Luthor state of mind. "Yes, Mr. Valtez." They entered the room together while Lex reminded himself of the figures Oliver gave him. He would get everything Oliver wanted, even the things he didn't expect to get. That's the least he should do for his family, especially since he felt every slow second that passed without them. Screw the ten-hour flight back home. He knows exactly who to call to get home in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Despite his plan to escape Spain via alien, he took the jet home, using the quiet plane ride to indulge his jet lag with a quick nap. He needed all the energy he could get when he got home. The night he left was certainly one to remember. It was like Valtez said, Olivia was now a teenager, and now Lex knew what a nightmare it must have been to raise Clark, or maybe because Olivia was a girl, it made it worse.

While Clark argued with Johnathan as a kid about football, Olivia started picking fights with them about cheerleading. Lex groaned just at the thought of it. The sport had so many ways to expose his little girl. In the heat of the moment, she could forget about her strength and accidentally crush another girl's foot as she lifted her. She would be too heavy for a pyramid, even though she looked like a strong breeze could knock her over. And God forbid she sets fire to the gym as she flirts with the jocks!

Her heat vision had to have been one of the most awkward talks Clark ever had to have with his daughter. He was every bit like Mr. Kent as he valiantly fought through words like 'arousal' or 'sex' without blushing. It made Oliver and Lex's 'birds and the bees' lecture seem like a talk about the weather. It was a miracle that Olivia was a genius, though it didn't settle the men's discomfort when they found out exactly how much she was able to research about sex. While Lex had tried hard to forget all of the sordid details that came out of his baby's mouth, Oliver had seemed to take notes if later that night was any indication.

* * *

Clark sighed, covering his face with his hands when he heard a door slam. Olivia was home, and she wasn't happy. He spared a moment to hope that she didn't break the hinges again before she sped in, throwing her bookbag on the table.

The room went silent as Olivia waited for her father to look at her. Clark steeled himself for hysterics as he slowly lowered his hands, but when he looked at his fourteen-year-old daughter, her face was red and tear-stained. Clark jumped to his feet, rushing over to pull her in his arms. His heart sank when she whimpered, clutching him with all of her strength. It made his breath leave him in a whoosh, but he held her tighter. She hadn't held on to him that hard since she was a little girl.

"Dad," her thick voice yanked at something in his chest. "I messed up. I did something bad!"

Clark tensed in fear. Oh, no, what did she do?! Did she tear her desk apart? Did she set something on fire? Did she hurt someone?!

He suddenly felt completely alone. Oliver was in Metropolis and Lex was on his way back from Spain. What if he couldn't handle it himself?

Clark kissed the top of Olivia's head. "What did you do, Livvy? We'll fix this."

She shook her head, hiding her face in Clark's chest. "You can't, Dad! It's too late. You can't fix this!" Clark felt like his heart was torn out of his chest as he thought the worst. Oh, God, has she been exposed?! Did she kill someone?! The possibilities were running through Clark's head so fast, he couldn't breathe.

Olivia trembled again and Clark felt his knees wobble in response. "Let's go sit down, honey. We need to talk about this."

Olivia then pulled away, shaking her head. "No! Not just us. You'll freak out. I want Daddy and Kiri here, too." That made the dread form even thicker in Clark's stomach, but he nodded.

"Alright," he agreed, as if he ever could say no to her, "I'll wait until they're home, but the minute they get here, you spill your guts. Okay?" He held out his pinky finger and she wrapped hers around it with a watery smile.

His daughter nodded, standing a little straighter. "Okay. When is Kiri getting home?" They flexed their fingers, feeling hints of each other's other-worldly strength before they pulled away. Clark turned back to where he was sitting, folding up the _Daily Planet _he was reading. He may work there, but he still wanted to keep tabs on what he might have missed running after stories.

"Two hours. Oliver is going to pick him up from the airport after work. Until then, I'll get dinner started. Do you have any homework?" He looked up in time to see her pale and drop her eyes to her shoes. Her feet wobbled from side to side in what Lex called her 'guilty pose'. He fears the day she would realize she gave off such a tell-tale sign.

"No," she lied, and it was almost amusing to hear it come out of her mouth. Was he ever that bad at lying?

"Livvy," Clark warned. "You need to be honest with me. If not, I can just see what's in your backpack." He made sure she was glancing up before pointedly staring at her bookbag on the table, narrowing his eyes to x-ray the bag-

"No!" She protested. Clark noticed she said the word with desperation. He sighed as he turned back to her. She was now shifting from side to side, as if getting ready to run, and Clark knew then that whatever bad thing she done involved the backpack. "I-um-I accidentally left my books in my locker. I was in a hurry and Tim didn't want to miss the bus so I forgot."

It was obviously a cover, and it irritated Clark, especially with Tim Drake mixed into it. Lex was more than happy to point out that Olivia was tripping over her own feet, sometimes literally, for the sixteen-year-old almost as badly as Clark did for Lana. It was hard to have that boy over sometimes, especially with the way he often caught him looking at Olivia, like some diamond he stumbled across in his backyard. He tried to be nice to him, since he obviously wasn't going anywhere, but the thought of his little girl falling in love wasn't something he was enjoying.

"Was Tim involved in whatever happened today?" He had to know. If that boy hurt his little girl, he would find himself halfway to Japan before he could even blink.

"What?!" She exclaimed, a blush coloring her cheeks red. "No! I mean, not really."

"Not really?" He then heard the sound of an engine approaching the house. He sped over to the door, looking out of it, ignoring Olivia calling him. Of course. He should have known that Tim would be coming to save the day. Clark was even more annoyed by how much they had in common. Except the red and black motorcycle, good ol' Tim could keep that.

He opened the door and stood out on the porch, arms crossed. He heard Olivia slowly approach the door, her face tinted red. Her hearing was just as good as her father's, and she'd recognize the sound of that engine anywhere.

Tim's face was hidden inside his helmet.

Clark snorted. _At least he has enough common sense to wear one…_

Tim tensed when the helmet turned in the direction of the porch. He lifted up the red and black visor, and Clark could see his wide eyes, which shone with a tiny hint of anxiety. Olivia rolled her eyes when her father scoffed. She often remarked how similar her Kryptonian father was to her Grandpa. She could just imagine her Daddy and Kiri standing just inside the door, silently enjoying Tim's horror at facing her father.

* * *

Olivia jumped out in front of Clark, walking quickly over to Tim, purposefully keeping her father out of his sight. Tim already admitted to being afraid of her father, but God forbid the Kryptonian actually find out about it! That would be humiliating!

"Hey, Silver!" Tim called, the voice muffled through his helmet. Olivia smiled at the nickname, given to her by him the first time he saw her eyes. Her Kiri's gray eyes… "You feeling a little better? Today was brutal—,"

"Shh!" She hissed, running the rest of the way to him. He had removed his helmet and she took full advantage as she jumped over to him and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"W'th'ell?!" He tried to yell past her palm. Olivia didn't let up. She could just tell her father turned full attention on them, watching intently to find out what was going on.

She looked over her shoulder and found out she was right. His posture was rigid and he had an ear turned towards them. She narrowed her eyes. "Tim," she whispered, even though she knew it would sound like a yell to her father's ears, "keep your big mouth shut for a sec, okay? Dad doesn't know, yet."

Her super-hearing tuned in long enough to hear her father mutter, "_You have two minutes, Olivia Marlira Kent. Then come inside."_

* * *

Clark walked back in the house, shoulders stiff and worry gnawing at his insides. The Drake kid wasn't too freaked out. In fact, he almost seemed to act normal. So maybe whatever it was his daughter did wasn't because of her powers? Maybe, hopefully, it was something normal? Something that would upset a normal teenage girl?

He jumped when his cell phone suddenly started ringing. He would like to think that his nervous tics were temporary, but as he caught a glimpse of his daughter hugging the boy still straddling his bike, he begrudgingly realized that it was only going to get worse as his little girl grew up.

He picked up his phone from where he left it on the counter, answering it without checking the ID. "Hello?" He said automatically, but his attention was focused on the kitchen window where he could see his daughter slapping away a few tears on her cheeks. He gritted his teeth when he saw the boy reach up, wiping away a few with his thumb gently.

"_Clark? Are you still there?" _Oliver's voice came through the line, a laugh trailing his words.

Clark tore his eyes away from the teenagers and put his back to them, crossing his arms tightly. That boy made him uncomfortable. He had a deep, unerring feeling that he was going to take his little girl away from him. "Yeah, I'm here." He said, his voice quiet. He could almost feel Oliver's concern over the line. "So is Drake."

He could hear the relief in Oliver's voice as he chuckled. _"I should have known he was there. Only Tim could get you riled up like that."_

Clark shifted his weight, "It's not just that. Olivia came home crying. She said she did something bad. She won't tell me. She wants to wait until you and Lex are home."

The line was silent for a minute before he heard Oliver clear his throat. _"Did Tim say anything about her powers? Is he acting weird? If anybody was to catch her using her powers, it'd most likely be him."_

_Another reason I don't like the kid, _Clark thought. "No, but he knows what happened. Or at least part of it. She got to him before he could say anything, though."

"_Damn, I was counting on him running his mouth."_

"Me, too." Clark agreed. "He's a lot like Chloe. The kid doesn't know when to shut up!"

Oliver chuckled over the line again, the sound sending warmth through Clark. _"Don't tell Chloe that."_ They went silent again for a brief second before Oliver spoke again, _"Oh, I'm on my way to get Lex. His flight made good time so I'm calling it a day and coming home. And Clark? We'll pick up something to eat on the way home. What does the Girl Scout want?" _

Clark looked up from his shoes at the sound of the door opening, the two sets of feet walking towards the kitchen. Clark groaned internally as Tim followed Olivia around the corner into the room.

"I don't know. Ask her." He then held the phone out to Olivia who furrowed her brows in confusion. "It's Ollie. He's getting Lex and coming home. He wants to know what you want for dinner. Is your boyfriend staying again?"

* * *

Both of the teenagers turned beet red before Olivia snatched the phone with a cold glare. "Very funny, Dad." She roughly took Tim's arm, almost dragging him into the living room before she pressed the phone to her ear. "Daddy?"

"_Hey, Girl Scout," _Oliver answered with a smile in his voice. "_So what's this I hear about a bad day? Now describe a bad day for me. Bad day as in when I have a bad day or as in when your Dad has a bad day?" _

Olivia inhaled deeply, falling into the old pattern her and her Daddy had. "Daddy, I've said a hundred times. Green is not your color. So I guess the second one will work." Tim rose a brow in confusion but shrugged when Olivia rolled her eyes. He sighed, plopping down on the couch, reaching for the remote. She moved across the room, clutching the phone, holding back her strength by a thread.

"_Oh, little Timmy is still around. He does have his own house, right? He's not one of those clever orphans who use rich guys as a way to get food and a bed, is he?"_

"Daddy!" She groaned, barely holding herself back from crushing the phone. "No, he's not!"

She heard Oliver's car in the background. The quiet engine hummed in her ear before Oliver spoke again, _"So, a Clark bad day, huh? Think the freeloader will leave after dinner, because we do need to talk about it."_

Olivia felt her heart race as she chewed her lip, "Actually, about that…"

"_No, Olivia. We're not just going to spring this on him. If you're serious about telling him about us, __**all of us**__, then all of us need to talk about it. You know as well as I do that your father would have the closest thing he could have to a heart attack the minute you suggest it. There's no telling what Lex will say." _Olivia huffed, her bottom lip trembling, as she glanced at Tim. He smiled back, winking playfully, before turning back to the cartoons on the tv. She smiled, despite the wet sting in her eyes. Since she met him, finding him on the side of the road unconscious after he crashed his bike, she wanted nothing more than to tell him her secret. Daddy was already on her side, maybe Kiri would be, too…

"_Girl Scout? Would Xia's Palace be okay for dinner? Maybe some egg drop soup will cheer you up." _

She laughed, nodding as she said, "Yeah, it sounds great. Tim likes the beef chow mein. That should be fine."

"_Okay. Want me to call one of your uncles over? Uncle Bart's back from Africa. He could tell you how he got outrun by a cheetah." _

Oliver always knew how to cheer her up. She could just imagine her Uncle Bart, cursing the giant cat as he stomped away. "No, maybe this weekend. I want it to be just us tonight."

"_And Tim?" _She heard the engine's hum die down until it cut off but then she heard the faint whistle of jet engines. He must be at the airport to pick up Kiri. She sighed, looking again at her best friend. He was laughing at something on the tv. She then noticed out of the corner of her eye that her father was in the kitchen, wringing a dishcloth in his hands, staring out of the kitchen's window.

"And Tim." She agreed. "Bye, Daddy. Tell Kiri I said hi."

"_Sure thing, Girl Scout. Love you."_

"Love you, too." The line clicked off in her ear.

* * *

Clark heard the line click as he listened in on the conversation. Yes, the part that hated his parents meddling in his life was screaming in protest, but a bigger part, the part that held a tiny baby as If it was made of glass, worried about his daughter, and let him listen in on the conversation.

She wanted to tell Tim about her powers. God, help him! She was just like him and that terrified him! And it was obvious that Oliver was on her side. He only hoped Lex would help him even the playing field. Both he and Lex knew that secrets weren't meant to be shared with everyone. There were people they trusted with their darkest secrets that betrayed them.

Tim was a wild card. He and Olivia had only met at the beginning of the school year. Olivia was usually so guarded, but with Tim, she was an open book. Clark, Lex, and Oliver watched their daughter cling to him and fawn over him, and the boy didn't show any resistance as he returned her affection. It was only a matter of time before one of them wanted to go further…

"Dad." Olivia called softly, handing him his phone. Clark took it, taking care not to crush it as he put it in his pocket. "Is it okay if Tim stays for dinner?"

Clark nodded, looking up into Olivia's bright gray eyes. No, silver. Tim was right about the silver. "Yeah, it's fine, but once the dishes and homework's done, he goes home, alright?"

She smiled. "Okay. Dad?" He turned fully to her, noticing how small she was compared to him. She barely reached the height of his collarbone and her body seemed so small. He felt a pang in his heart. His little girl will be a beautiful woman, but with her small build, everyone will underestimate her. Maybe that's what she needed. No one would expect someone as gentle-looking as her to be superhuman. It was the perfect disguise. "Dad, I'm sorry I cut him off like that. It's just you need to hear the whole story at once so you won't freak out."

"Was anyone hurt?" He finally asked, almost begged.

She blinked, as if surprised by the question, before she shook her head. "No, I can tell you right now that no one got hurt." She stood up on her tip toes and hugged her father. "Stop worrying so much, Dad. Kiri's coming home today. How about this? We talk about what happened, and if you want, I can see if Grandma and Grandpa will let me stay over." Clark fought down the blush clawing its way up his cheeks as he hastily cleared his throat.

"Do you always have to do that?" He asked, finally smiling.

She smiled innocently back at him, but a light of mischief, much like Lex's, shone in her eyes. "Do what?" And Clark could swear he heard Lex's voice just then. It made the blush harder to beat back.

"Do what you can with Tim about homework. Maybe he could help with whatever happened to your books." Her smile faltered a bit before she turned away, grabbing her bookbag, and rushed into the other room.

"_So was anything salvageable?" _Tim's voice picked up in Clark's ears. He could tell they were trying to whisper, but the sound instantly triggered Clark's hearing.

He heard Olivia scoff, and a zipper being pulled. "_No, the Wicked Witch and her meat-head boyfriend made sure of that. This is going to cost a fortune!" _

"_Says the daughter of two millionaires." _Tim muttered. He then heard a whack and Tim cursing. "_Ow! Easy with the gloves, Rocky! I was joking!"_

"_First off, Kiri isn't rich anymore. He gave that up to be with Dad. Secondly, Daddy is a __**billionaire**__, so get your facts straight. And thirdly, just because he's rich doesn't mean I can just drop a couple hundred on things that would've been free if they haven't been destroyed by Tweedle-Double D's and Tweedle-Double Dumb."_

"_Well, you got off lucky. The rest of them will have to drop a couple grand to fix what happened today. Aren't you glad you ride the bus?" _

Olivia laughed and Clark forced himself to stop listening. After dinner, he reminded himself. He will find out what happened after dinner.

* * *

To say the house was tense was an understatement in Lex's opinion. He expected coming home to be full of hugs from his family and a kiss from his boyfriends, but the moment he walked off the plane and saw Ollie waiting for him, he could tell from Ollie's face that he wasn't going to get that just yet.

Their family dinner was awkward. He couldn't even bring himself to be amused by Tim Drake's valiant effort to get on Clark's good side. Timothy reminded Lex a lot of himself, which opened the door for him to get used to his regular, almost constant, place beside his Olivia. Everyone kept their head down, speaking in brief conversations, as they picked through their Chinese. Clark hardly touched his food, pushing it around with his chopsticks. At one point, Tim had noticed Olivia shifting nervously in her seat. He reached out to bump her chin with his index finger, bringing an instant smile to her face. That's when Clark had to switch to a fork after snapping his chopsticks. And even then, he repeatedly waited until Tim looked away before bending the metal back into shape after crushing it in his grip.

"So," Lex started, hoping to break the silence, "cheerleading tryouts were today, right?" Tim dropped his fork, the utensil clattering loudly on his plate, before he took it back with red cheeks.

Olivia's face paled and she had to try a few times to speak, "Um, yeah, they were." She moved as if to say something else, but then snapped her mouth closed and turned back to her food, her hand shaking.

Oliver stiffened when he saw her fork bending around her knuckles. "So, did you try out? Clark said you wanted to stay after. I know we didn't agree to it, but if you're anything like your father, we knew you would anyway."

All three men heard the groan of wood protesting force. She must be gripping her chair.

Clark dropped his fork, eyes darting between Olivia and Tim. Tim just watched their daughter, concern and oddly anger in his eyes. "She try out, Tim?" He asked with a firm voice, causing the teenager to jump.

"Uh," he stammered, the red of his cheeks darkening, "yes, sir, um, Mr. Kent."

"_Tim!" _Olivia hissed, glaring at the boy.

Tim shrugged, "I don't care if you robbed a bank or killed a guy, I'm not about to lie to Mr. K." He lowered his voice, leaning towards her, which caused Clark's stomach to coil. "_He'll snap my neck. You can say he won't, but I know he will." _The words were barely audible under his breath, but Clark heard them. He fought down a smug smile.

"Well," Oliver asked, leaning on his elbows, his garlic chicken forgotten, "how'd it go? Did you get in?"

"No," Olivia answered quietly, but the groan of wood was almost thunderous in the room. Tim was starting to get suspicious. His eyebrows furrowed as he moved to lean over Olivia, to look at the hand holding, and most likely destroying, her chair.

Clark cleared his throat loudly, and Tim instantly pulled back, sitting straight. Olivia looked up from her plate to her father's eyes. A sheen of tears began to build in hers.

"That's what we were supposed to talk about." She said as if it said everything. Tim clenched his jaw, shaking his head slowly.

"Something you want to add, Tim?" Lex asked nicely. The boy pushed his plate away, leaning back in his chair, and wiped his mouth with his napkin. Lex was amused. He may talk like he was raised in a barn, but he showed a more upscale side when people least expected it.

"Yeah." He then pried the fork out of Olivia's hand. He seemed focused on only her, because the fork he laid on the table was curved in four places, a perfect impression of Olivia's fingers. Clark sucked in a quiet breath as the boy interlaced his fingers with his daughter's, and all three of her fathers waited holding their breath, fearing that Tim was about to lose a finger. Olivia, however, relaxed, flexing her fingers in his. He nodded before squeezing back. "Stupid stuff like this happens all the time, Silver. Don't take it so hard." The sheen of tears in their daughter's eyes thickened, her bottom lip trembling.

"I told you why it's hard!" She whined, sniffing. He tightened the grip he had on Olivia's hand, his mouth set in a determined frown. He ignored her watery glare as he turned to the men.

"She's upset because they destroyed her locker. I mean, complete vandalism. The only thing that survived their stupidity was the locker's door." The tears finally spilled over and Olivia yanked her hand out of Tim's, hesitating before snatching her fork out of sight. Clark could tell she was bending it back into shape under the table. Tim wasn't paying attention. He seemed to be building up the nerve to say something directly to Lex. "They make fun of her because you're her dad, Mr. Sutton."

Lex leaned in on his elbows, his expression unchanged. "I figured as much. What is it they say?"

Olivia gently shoved Tim, but the force still sent his chair skittering back an inch. "Don't, Tim. I can handle it."

Tim scooted his chair back into place, gently pushing Olivia back as an afterthought. "This is getting out of hand, Silver. What they did should be reported. They defaced public and private property!"

"What did they do?" Clark bit out, his patience coming to an abrupt end. If they strung up his daughter like they did with him, some snot-nosed brats were going to end up in the hospital…

"They tore her textbooks to pieces and scattered them all over the parking lot, and her notebooks were super-glued to the walls all over school. On the pages of the notebooks, they wrote things like 'Go back to outer space!' and 'Libby is a freak!'. They also made a lot of nasty remarks about the three of you, but I'm not willing to repeat them."

"I can imagine." Oliver remarked dryly. "Were the kids suspended?"

"That's just the thing!" He exclaimed, his face flushing with anger. Olivia's face was turning red, too, and Clark was the only one who noticed the sound of something thick and wooden snapping. "They can't prove who did it. They did everything out of view of the cameras and with cheerleading tryouts going on, there was no telling who was and wasn't there. The principal just told Olivia to bring the money for textbooks Monday because and I quote, 'Luckily, you can afford to replace them.' They keep calling her a freak. They think that she's a meteor freak."

"Because of me." Lex finished for him, his voice quiet. Tim flinched, but nodded. Clark then had to restrain himself from breaking something. He could see Oliver suppressing his rage, too. Lex just looked resigned, as if he saw this coming from a mile away.

"They think that Olivia isn't just Mr. K's. You've got to admit, Mr. Sutton, Olivia looks a lot like you and her Dad." Lex shifted uneasily in his seat and they all jumped when the table suddenly collapsed, dumping food and dishes into the floor. Clark jumped up, his cheeks red, as he hastily apologized.

Tim stood, too, alarmed. "Mr. K, are you alright?" Clark was trying hard to hide his panic, but he could barely control himself. People were putting the pieces together. Soon, they'll learn the truth. About him, about Lex, about Olivia, about what he'd _done. _

"Clark!" Lex barked, pulling Clark out of his panic. "It's alright. I told you we should have just bought a new table." He then scoffed, trying to break the tension in the room. "All the money we could want, and Clark still insists to fix everything himself. Classic farmboy…"

Clark was confused for a brief moment, then he realized what had happened. He ripped the leg out from under the table. In his loss of control, he tore through the oak table like he did the chopsticks. Tim seemed to buy Lex's bluff, a little reluctantly but he was more worried about Olivia. Olivia stayed sitting, shaking like a leaf as she fought to control herself, too. Her eyes were wide and frightened as they watched her father. Clark then knew why she was so scared. She wasn't scared of what she'd done. She wasn't scared of how the other teenagers treated her. She was scared of what she could have done. What she was capable of doing.

"Lex, it wasn't the table and you know it." He heard himself saying. Oliver and Lex both looked up at him, startled. The look on Olivia's face was hopeful. Clark nodded, smiling warmly at his little girl. The grin that broke out over her face reminded him of the baby he held in his arms, that ear-piercing giggle he loved to hear. He didn't realize how much he missed that until now. "I swore I would stop breaking furniture, but I just got so angry." Tim looked up then, his brows furrowed.

"Mr. K?" He asked hesitantly, eyeing the damaged table with anxiousness.

Clark took a deep breath, turning to his boyfriends. "Lex? Ollie?"

"We're with you, Clark. Whatever happens, you know that." Oliver assured him and Lex nodded in agreement. The love he felt for them bloomed in his chest, bringing him back from the edge of his control.

Tim moved closer to Olivia, almost protectively, as he stared at Clark. "Guys, this is getting seriously Silence of the Lambs-ish. Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Tim," Clark sighed. "What do you know about aliens?" Olivia gasped, hearing the words she never thought she would hear come out of her father's mouth. Tim stiffened in front of her, before laughing nervously.

"Um, like E.T. aliens? Or little green men?"

Clark laughed bitterly. "I'm not little or green, Timmy." Tim flinched as if Clark punched him, which said a lot of how fast he moved.

"You're pulling my leg? Right, Silver?" Olivia didn't reply, instead watching her best friend closely. Tim waited a bated breath before looking down at her. "Olivia?"

She smiled self-consciously, toying with the bent fork in her hand. "I'm the reason those jerks now have to replace their tires."

"What?! No way!" Tim tried to laugh, but Olivia's serious gaze made the smile vanish. Lex, Clark, and Oliver watched the exchange, prepared to intervene if he reacts badly. "You're saying that was you?!" She nodded. "You set their tires on fire?!"

"You did what?!" Oliver exclaimed, a grin involuntarily breaking out over his face. Clark was stunned silent and Lex simply groaned, hiding his face in his hands. His shoulders then started shaking with laughter.

"I just melted them to the road!" Olivia said quickly, as if it rectified the situation. Clark opened his mouth to tell her how reckless that was, but then Tim spoke up.

"Whoa! Whoa! This is real. You're really telling me this! You're all aliens?!" Lex then stood, his body still shaking with humor as he held out a placating hand.

"No, Tim, Oliver and I are human. Well, I'm a meteor freak, but Ollie is just like you. Clark and Olivia, however, are. And you were right. Olivia is mine and Clark's, but that's a story you do _not_ get to hear. We have a lot to talk about."

"That is," Clark finally spoke, his voice firm and every bit as intimidating as Johnathan Kent's, "if we can trust you with everything we're telling you."

"We can." Oliver said with certainty. "He's not new to this. His parents are close friends with Bruce Wayne. All I have to do is make a few phone calls and his lips are sealed."

Tim's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "How did you know that?"

"Bruce and I don't just talk about business, Tim. He mentioned you winning a few Jujitsu tournaments not too long ago. Why do you think I'm the only one who likes you?"

"I like him." Lex added, glaring at Oliver.

"I don't." Clark said, bending down to pick up some of the empty plates off the floor.

"Let's just clean up, move to the living room, and we'll tell you everything you need to know about Olivia. Olivia, could you help your dad clean up real _quick_?" Oliver smirked, winking slyly at his daughter. Olivia smirked back, her smile an eerie reflection of Lex's. Clark and Olivia shared a quick stare before they vanished into a burst of wind, shocking Tim into thinking a tornado suddenly formed in the kitchen. Before he could react, though, the wind stopped and the two were in the kitchen, putting away now clean plates, the broken table the only evidence of this crazy night.

"What the hell was that?!" Tim cried, feeling insane. He tensed as Olivia walked up to him, nerves making her hands tremble.

"Tim," she said quietly, "my father and I are from another planet. I'm half-human, but I have the same powers as my Dad. I can run really fast, jump really high, shoot fire from my eyes, and see through solid objects. I can lift your motorcycle as easily as you can lift your backpack. Kiri, my other dad's name, is short for _voikirium_. In my planet's language it means savior, because he gave birth to me. My Dad and I are the only ones left." Tim stared at her, speechless, in shock. "Tim, say something! You're my best friend and I've been wanting to tell you the truth since we met. I swear, we're not here for some invasion, or to see your leader, or any of that stupid crap. We're here because we have nowhere else to go. Our planet was destroyed when my Dad was just a baby, and he grew up with my human grandparents. Right now, we're just trying to stay hidden so we don't end up in some lab, and believe me, Dad has been there more than once."

"What are you expecting me to do, Silver?" The nickname gave Olivia and her fathers hope as he, for once in his life, spoke seriously. "Were you honestly expecting me to sell you guys on Ebay? 'Real life aliens and their human pets for a thousand bucks or best offer'? Or call the cops? The military? Babe, I knew you were different. Not every girl can lift a motorcycle off of a guy, and I _know _that it landed on top of me. I was pinned under it forever before I finally passed out. And I'm not that stupid, ya know? You would miss the bus, but then still somehow make it to school before I do? You would play baseball in P.E. for a solid hour in the dead of August and _not _break a sweat? And you can't look me in the eye and expect to believe that I didn't notice the fork you mutilated at dinner tonight? I'm surprised your dad snapped the table before you did. And you setting the entire cheerleading squad and the football team's tires on fire? That's awesome."

"We're going to talk about that, Olivia Marlira." Lex cut in, but Tim continued.

"Silver, you may have shocked the hell out of me tonight, but that's because I was nowhere near guessing why you were so special. My craziest theory was some kind of weird steroid." Olivia laughed, and took Tim's hand as he held it out. "I'm glad you guys could trust me, and it's going to take some getting used to, but your secret's safe with me. As long as you keep mine safe."

Clark, Lex, and Olivia frowned in confusion, but Oliver merely grinned smugly. "What do you mean?" Olivia asked, tensing. The tension then turned to absolute stiffness when Tim bent down to peck her lips.

"I mean, that I've got this crazy crush on this hot alien chick, and I want to ask her out, but I'm afraid that I'll have my neck snapped, by either her or her alien father."

"You were right to fear that," Clark quipped, sighing in defeat. Olivia then squealed in joy, wrapping her arms tightly around Tim. Tim hugged her back tightly, but then started coughing from lack of oxygen.

"Ease up, Silver. Can't breathe!" She pulled away, blushing. A cleared throat from Oliver pulled their attention to the three men. Olivia then grinned, running to hug each of them.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' She chirped over and over again as she squeezed their necks, saving her otherworldly strength for Clark. Even he lost the ability to breathe in her grip. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. He reluctantly smiled, even with the image of Tim kissing her in his head.

"I love you, too, Livvy." He set her back on her feet, letting his stone façade fade a little in front of the boy. He knew everything now, no point in scaring him off. "Come on, guys, let's go sit in the living room. We can tell Tim the rest of the story. Starting with the meteor shower."

"You mean the one in 2005?" Tim asked, following Clark, but then Lex came up to him, clapping his back.

"Oh, no, Timothy." The bald man laughed. "This goes way back. I'll start. You see, when I was about eight, my father and I were visiting Smallville while they were having their homecoming day parade…"

* * *

The house grew quiet as the sound of a speeding motorcycle left the driveway. Clark watched it stop at the end of the way, where Olivia was standing, saying goodbye to Tim. He had already called his mom, giving Olivia forty-five minutes to make it to her grandparents' house. They didn't live far away, but Ollie convinced him to give her some time with her new boyfriend. He still didn't like the boy, but he trusted his daughter. She was, after all, just like her father.

The bike sped away, throwing up gravel as it started down the street. He could see Olivia's mischievous grin, just like Lex's, before she sped after him.

Arms wrapped around his middle, then, pulling his attention away from the kitchen window.

"She won't get into trouble, Clark. She's too much like you," Lex assured him, echoing Clark's thoughts. Lex then leaned up to bite his earlobe, sending a surge of heat through Clark. "I saw that look on your face when you let her tell the truth. You've been looking at her like that a lot lately."

Clark shrugged, trying to talk past the lips caressing his throat. "I, um, just remember what it was like when she was, um…uh, a baby. I, uh, miss it." Lex then bit down on the side of his neck, making Clark shiver and bare his neck further under Lex's mouth.

"Clark," Lex said, his tone suddenly firm, "have you thought about what I said? Dr. Tidwell said he'll be ready to move in at the drop of a hat."

A cold lump of fear lodged itself in Clark's chest. "It's very tempting, Lex, but I just remember before and I just don't think I can…" he trailed off, holding Lex's hands to him, feeling Lex's familiar heat through his shirt. He wanted to have another child, but not if he has to hurt Lex again, not if it would endanger his family.

"Clark," Oliver called from the door. They looked over to him. His eyes were warm and his smile was soothing as he caught Clark's gaze. "We are here. I can have my whole team here whenever we need them. What happened to you and Lex will not happen again. I swear it. You know I always keep my word."

Clark shuddered in desire, staring at the two men he loved more than anything. He then turned to Lex. Beautiful, amazing Lex. The man who gave him Olivia. Who was volunteering to give him another child. With a groan of relief, he pressed his lips to Lex's, their kiss hot and slow as they pressed their bodies together.

They heard Oliver approach them before hands ghosted over Clark's arms, raising goosebumps, and lips trailed down the back of Lex's neck, making him slump between them. Clark and Oliver explored Lex with hands and lips, clothes gradually coming off until they pressed together, skin to skin. It had been so long since they all found the time to be together. They took what they could get with each other, but all three of them, together, was rare.

Lex broke away from Clark's lips with a gasp, grinding their erections together as he pressed back into Oliver. "_Please!"_

"Tell us what you want, Lex." Oliver breathed into Lex's ear. Lex smirked, rolling his hips into Clark. Clark responded by taking Lex in his hand, stroking his length with just a hint of extra strength. Lex held on to Oliver as the blonde watched Clark's movements over his shoulder. "Tell us."

He then bit Lex's neck hard, making Lex gasp, "Both! I want both of you!"

Clark and Ollie froze, glancing at each other before they looked at Lex. Lex stiffened, too. "You want both of us, at the same time?" Clark asked quietly, his fingers trailing over the frail bones in Lex's neck. Lex shivered and nodded. "Lex, it'll take a while to prepare."

"I fucked myself with four fingers earlier on the plane." He said suddenly, making both men silent. Clark couldn't help but picture it. Lex in the lavatory, maybe even in the main compartment, his legs thrown over the arms of his chair, pants discarded on the floor, as he frantically shoved almost his entire hand into himself, gasping Clark and Oliver's name. The image had Clark throbbing and so hard it was painful. Oliver groaned, unconsciously thrusting his hips against Lex. Lex whimpered, pressing between them.

"You were hoping for this, weren't you?" Oliver asked, laughing. Lex only moaned in response as he felt Oliver's hardness pressing into his back. Clark watched Oliver slide a hand under Lex's underwear, going down his cleft to his entrance. Lex sighed Oliver's name as Oliver hissed.

"He's still loose, Clark." He then chuckled before sliding his tongue up Lex's neck.

"You were hoping for this." Clark said, his voice deep and hoarse. The image of Lex masturbating on the plane wouldn't leave his head, and he wanted to reach in Lex's underwear and feel his hole himself. "Bedroom." He said instead. He locked eyes with Oliver, and the look he gave the blonde made him shiver. "Now." They rushed up the stairs and to their room, barely keeping their hands off of each other. They were almost to their room when Oliver slammed Clark into the wall, dropping to his knees, dragging Clark's boxers with him. Before Clark could react, Oliver swallowed him to the root, causing Clark to shout the blonde's name. Lex tore off his own underwear, watching Oliver suck Clark, and jerking himself off. The sight of Lex's dick, blood red and dripping, made Clark shudder violently as Oliver pressed his tongue into the vein running along his length. "_Oh, fuck, Oliver! Oh, Lex!" _He banged his head on the wall with a loud thud, trying to distract himself from Oliver before he came down his throat. "_Ollie! _Stop! Stop! I can't last!"

Oliver pulled off of his cock with a lewd pop and a knowing grin. "What happened to your extra-terrestrial stamina?" Before Clark could answer, Oliver started sucking him again, harder and somehow, deeper.

"That's so hot, Oliver." Lex kneeled beside Ollie, staring at the blonde as he swallowed Clark's length. "Watching you suck Clark, seeing his cock vanish through your lips. Your lips are so amazing, Ollie." Lex then turned his glazed eyes up to Clark. Clark whimpered as his lust-blown gaze made another bolt of pleasure shoot through him, bringing him closer to his release. "Isn't it, Clark? Ollie is so good at this. His tongue is absolutely filthy, tracing every vein, every ridge, finding every single spot to make you melt in his mouth." Clark moaned, loudly and brokenly as Oliver swirled his tongue across the tip. He fought to keep his hips still as Oliver dove to the hilt again, the head of Clark's dick grazing the back of his throat.

"_Oh my God!" _ Clark cried, clawing at the wall to find something, _anything_, to hang on to.

"I can't wait to have both of you buried inside of me, fucking me until I scream. Don't you want that, Clark? To feel Ollie's cock pressed against yours while your inside of me? My ass squeezing both of you so tight. To hear me screaming your names over and over again, begging you to never, ever stop?"

With a primal yell, Clark suddenly came into Oliver's mouth. Oliver sucked greedily at Clark, swallowing every last drop before pulling away. He was quickly grabbed by Lex, their lips meshed roughly together as Lex tasted Clark in Oliver's mouth. The sight had Clark weak-kneed and already growing hard again. Oliver was right about his alien stamina.

"Please," Lex pleaded into Oliver's mouth, "fuck me. Right fucking now!"

Oliver sucked Lex's bottom lip then pulled away, helping Lex to his feet. Clark pushed away from the wall and pulled his lovers into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind them, before, in a burst of speed, pinning Lex to the bed, his fingers instantly finding Lex's loose, slick entrance. Lex groaned as Clark shoved three fingers into him with no warning, seeking out his prostate with deadly precision.

"Oh, Clark! Oh, _fuck_, Clark!" Clark could feel Lex's body clench around him, but even with three thick fingers, he was still too relaxed, too loose.

"You liar." He accused, biting Lex's collarbone with enough force to bruise. The bed dipped as Oliver climbed up beside them, his cock now free and impossibly hard.

"What did you lie about, Lex?" Oliver teased, ghosting his fingertips over Lex's dick. Lex's hips thrusted up to meet Oliver's hand, but a firm grip on his hip from Clark kept him pinned.

"It-it wasn't _four fingers, fuck, Clark, just like that!_" He moaned then whimpered as Oliver grazed his nails along his shaft. "It was…._oh, yes!_ It was six!"

Oliver then gripped Lex firmly stroking him up and down once before pulling away, smirking at Lex's pitiful whine.

"Jesus, Lex!" Clark exclaimed, adding a fourth finger as he fucked Lex with his hand. Lex tried to arch into Clark, but he was pinned to the mattress.

"Please, Clark!" He cried, gripping the bedsheets with white knuckles. "Fuck me! You know I can take it! Please!" Oliver and Clark shared a look before Clark nodded, pulling away from Lex. Lex whimpered at the now empty feeling in his body, but the agony was short lived as he was suddenly flipped around to straddle Clark's hips, Clark pushing his suddenly slicked cock inside of him in one thrust. Lex cried out, hanging on to Clark for dear life as the farmboy bucked his hips, pushing deeper and deeper into Lex's body. "Oh, Clark! _Oh! Yes!" _He never thought he could love Clark's speed any more than he did right there. He begged, pleaded for more as Clark fucked him, tugging and pulling Clark's thick hair when Clark suddenly slowed, panting with excitement.

"Are you ready, Lex?" His voice was almost a growl.

Lex's body shuddered around Clark, making the farmboy moan. "Yes, _fuck yes, _I'm ready."

Oliver came of kneel behind Lex, pressing his chest into his back, as slick fingers circled Lex's stretched entrance. Lex leaned his head back on Oliver's shoulder as Oliver's tongue licked the side of his throat, two fingers sliding in next to Clark's cock. Both men hissed as Oliver fucked his fingers into Lex, gradually adding a third finger, until he used his fingers to stretch Lex open impossibly wider. Anticipation grew thick in the air as Oliver pushed Lex to lean forward, until Clark and Lex's chest were pressed together. Lex cried out as he felt his body stretching around Oliver's dick as the blonde slowly pushed inside next to Clark. The three men held on to each other tightly as they allowed Lex to adjust. The burn and the stretch brought tears to Lex's eyes, but soon his hips started moving of their own volition.

"Please," Lex begged. "Move." Clark and Oliver seemed to have come to some non-verbal understanding as suddenly they both started thrusting in and out of Lex's body. Lex went mindless with pleasure as both of their cocks stimulated his prostate. He was growing so hard it hurt. He drug his nails down Clark's chest, leaving no signs of being there. Oliver gripped Lex's hips so hard he was sure there would be bruises, and the headboard above them groaned loudly in protest as Clark clung to it. The only sounds in the room were loud, breathy moans from all three men and the slick sound of skin on skin as their thrusts grew faster, the impossible heat of Lex's body, as well as the sensation of their cocks side by side, bringing them quickly to the edge.

"_Yes!" _Clark hissed, feeling the wrought iron headboard bend under his hands. "God, Lex, you look so fucking hot! Taking both of our cocks so beautifully!" The men's moans of pleasure and the moaning of bending metal only spurred Clark on as he tried to thrust deeper into Lex, needing to feel more of Lex, more of Oliver, as he was brought closer and closer to release.

Oliver could only grunt in response as he forced himself deeper alongside Clark. He pushed Lex's leg higher on Clark's hip, changing the angle, hitting Lex's prostate dead on.

Lex screamed, crying both Clark and Oliver's names as loudly as possible as his body clamped down around their cocks. Clark felt Lex come between their bodies, his hot cum slicking his body as he forced his hips faster, deeper, making Lex scream himself hoarse. Oliver thrusted a few more times in Lex's vice-like heat before he finally growled, biting down on Lex's shoulder as he came deep inside of him. The feel of Lex squeezing their lengths together along with the hot spill of Oliver's release finally tipped Clark over the edge as he howled his ecstasy, the headboard finally bending beyond recognition under Clark's tight grip. Clark came inside Lex, hard and long, as he held both men to his chest, their whimpers and moans only making his orgasm last.

After a moment of complete stillness, all three men collapsed, lying side by side on the bed as they pulled each other closer together. Lex quickly rolled onto his stomach, flinching when the sheets rubbed his sensitive cock.

"You really want it to happen, don't you?" Clark asked, his post-coital bliss giving him a goofy grin. Lex propped his head on his folded arms, lying in the middle as Clark and Oliver held him on either side.

"Yes, I do, Clark." He kissed Clark, trying to soothe the fear he could see coming back to his expression. "Nothing will go wrong, Clark. I'll be okay. I promise." Clark nodded, still not completely convinced.

Oliver leaned up over Lex, smiling at Clark. "Maybe they'll have my blonde hair or my eyes. You never know."

"Ollie," Clark began, but Lex playfully bit his bottom lip, silencing him.

"Yeah, Oliver, maybe." They grinned but then Lex pressed his lips to Oliver's, kissing him slowly, but soon, the kiss grew heated again, and then Oliver turned Lex over, his fingers tracing Lex's loose hole.

Lex broke away gasping, turning to Clark. "Clark?"

Clark shook his head, unable to take his eyes away from Oliver as he kissed his way down Lex's neck, his chest, "No, I'm fine for now. It's my turn to watch."

"Watch-_oh, Ollie!_" Lex looked down into Oliver's eyes as Oliver sucked Lex down to the hilt, his tongue doing sinful things to him. Clark started to palm his half-hard erection, still slick from Lex and Ollie, as he watched Lex arch and moan under Oliver's mouth.

"He really is good at that, isn't he?" Lex couldn't respond. His eyes were clenched shut and his mouth trapped in a silent 'o' of pleasure as Oliver dragged his tongue up his shaft, four fingers sinking into Lex's body. Clark's palming soon turned into stroking as he jerked himself to the erotic sight. As he watched his lovers together, Oliver skillfully teasing Lex with his mouth and his fingers, he couldn't help but feel that cold lump of fear dissipate. He was here. Lex was here. Ollie was here. If Lex ended up pregnant again, they would be ready this time. He couldn't help but picture a little boy with sandy-blonde hair and his green eyes. It just felt natural.

And as Oliver's entire hand disappeared into Lex's body, making the man keen and come down Oliver's throat, Clark strangely thought as he came to Lex's cries, that he had a home. And he was more than happy to stay…


End file.
